<p>The venue was the art gallery of Dakshina Chitra, the well-known living museum of the heritage of South India, located 25 km south of Chennai.<br /><br /> An exhibition on the revival of gongadi, the traditional woollen blanket from the Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh, was being held to coincide with Kaivalam: the World Crafts Council Summit, that recently concluded in Chennai. Artisans from the Unni Sangham, a community-based collective supported by the Hyderabad-based NGO Anthra, showcased their skills on the verandahs edging the gallery. Tulsiamma spun the yarn from the black carded wool by rolling it on her bare thighs onto a spindle. Weaver Saigondappa wove the yarn into a gongadi on a mobile pit loom (gunta magam) after brushing the yarn with the paste of tamarind seeds to give it strength.<br /><br />The gongadi is a woollen blanket woven from the wool of the Deccani sheep breed found in the Deccan region of South-Central India, which includes regions of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. It is reared by the sheep herding pastoral communities of this semi–arid region — Kurumas of Andhra, Kuruvas of Karnataka and Dhangars of Maharashtra. In Karnataka, the blanket is known as kambli. The traditional gongadi is a 8x 4-feet-long blanket that is folded into two and shaped into a conical hat, used by pastoral shepherds as a blanket to protect them from the heat and cold of the semi-arid region, as a mackintosh to weather the rain or as a travelling pouch to carry food or grain or even a newborn lamb. </p>.<p>The black surface of the blanket has a white weave known as bane or sulupu on the right side. The black and white border (kada) ornaments the gongadi. Women traditionally spin the yarn and men weave the blanket) The gongadi is unique for many reasons: it is a 100 per cent khadi (handspun and handwoven) wool product. It is a continuous weave of 8 feet, that is not cut in-between. <br /><br />No dyed yarns are used. The colour palette consists of the natural colours of the sheep wool: black, white, white black, ash, brown/beige, etc. These colours do not fade but deepen with time. The loom is designed to be carried anywhere to suit the needs of a migratory people. The classic design for a smaller blanket is the pottu gongadi or baby gongadi (6x4 feet) that is presented to a young boy by his maternal uncle or grandparents and used in community rituals and festivals. The gongadis are an important part of the myth, culture and identity of the Telangana people.<br /><br />This exhibition brought into focus this underexposed traditional craft. Heritage blankets with traditional designs were displayed. Weaver and textile designer Elena Dickson, who has worked in India for several years, helped to introduce a limited product diversification, whilst keeping intact traditional designs, based on her interactions with shepherds, spinners and weavers. Newly designed pieces in several sizes, including 6x4 feet, 2x4 feet (prayer mat size), that could be used as durries, wall hangings or sofa throws, introduced an urban chic. Some were jet black weaves, others embellished with broad white stripes and yet others with thinner irregular stripes in white, made by interspersing the black thread of the warp with white yarn.<br /><br />Deccani breed<br /><br />At the centre of the story of gongadi is the Deccani sheep (nalla gore). Sagari R Ramdas, veterinary scientist and director, Anthra, explains: “The Deccani breed, that has existed in the area for centuries, is well-adapted to the semi-arid ecological habitat of the Deccan plateau. The breed was rapidly diluted, via government policies begun in the mid-90s to replace local wooly sheep breeds with hairy mutton varieties. The new mixed-breed sheep had more hair than wool that could no longer be spun into yarn. With this the wool production of the region began to fall.” Simultaneously, with the introduction of cheaper mill-made blankets in the market, the demand for gongadis diminished. The Indian Army, major buyers of the coarse black blankets, withdrew their custom. Consequently, the craft of weaving gongadis began to dwindle, till it was almost lost. <br /><br />The revival of the gongadi is the story of the initiative of collectives of shepherd communities and visionary NGOs who set about systematically to revive the original breed of the Deccani sheep. With availability of suitable wool, weavers began, once again, to weave the gongadis. By participating in the conservation of the breed and craft, they are rediscovering the traditional knowledge and identity of the Telangana people.</p>
<p>The venue was the art gallery of Dakshina Chitra, the well-known living museum of the heritage of South India, located 25 km south of Chennai.<br /><br /> An exhibition on the revival of gongadi, the traditional woollen blanket from the Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh, was being held to coincide with Kaivalam: the World Crafts Council Summit, that recently concluded in Chennai. Artisans from the Unni Sangham, a community-based collective supported by the Hyderabad-based NGO Anthra, showcased their skills on the verandahs edging the gallery. Tulsiamma spun the yarn from the black carded wool by rolling it on her bare thighs onto a spindle. Weaver Saigondappa wove the yarn into a gongadi on a mobile pit loom (gunta magam) after brushing the yarn with the paste of tamarind seeds to give it strength.<br /><br />The gongadi is a woollen blanket woven from the wool of the Deccani sheep breed found in the Deccan region of South-Central India, which includes regions of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. It is reared by the sheep herding pastoral communities of this semi–arid region — Kurumas of Andhra, Kuruvas of Karnataka and Dhangars of Maharashtra. In Karnataka, the blanket is known as kambli. The traditional gongadi is a 8x 4-feet-long blanket that is folded into two and shaped into a conical hat, used by pastoral shepherds as a blanket to protect them from the heat and cold of the semi-arid region, as a mackintosh to weather the rain or as a travelling pouch to carry food or grain or even a newborn lamb. </p>.<p>The black surface of the blanket has a white weave known as bane or sulupu on the right side. The black and white border (kada) ornaments the gongadi. Women traditionally spin the yarn and men weave the blanket) The gongadi is unique for many reasons: it is a 100 per cent khadi (handspun and handwoven) wool product. It is a continuous weave of 8 feet, that is not cut in-between. <br /><br />No dyed yarns are used. The colour palette consists of the natural colours of the sheep wool: black, white, white black, ash, brown/beige, etc. These colours do not fade but deepen with time. The loom is designed to be carried anywhere to suit the needs of a migratory people. The classic design for a smaller blanket is the pottu gongadi or baby gongadi (6x4 feet) that is presented to a young boy by his maternal uncle or grandparents and used in community rituals and festivals. The gongadis are an important part of the myth, culture and identity of the Telangana people.<br /><br />This exhibition brought into focus this underexposed traditional craft. Heritage blankets with traditional designs were displayed. Weaver and textile designer Elena Dickson, who has worked in India for several years, helped to introduce a limited product diversification, whilst keeping intact traditional designs, based on her interactions with shepherds, spinners and weavers. Newly designed pieces in several sizes, including 6x4 feet, 2x4 feet (prayer mat size), that could be used as durries, wall hangings or sofa throws, introduced an urban chic. Some were jet black weaves, others embellished with broad white stripes and yet others with thinner irregular stripes in white, made by interspersing the black thread of the warp with white yarn.<br /><br />Deccani breed<br /><br />At the centre of the story of gongadi is the Deccani sheep (nalla gore). Sagari R Ramdas, veterinary scientist and director, Anthra, explains: “The Deccani breed, that has existed in the area for centuries, is well-adapted to the semi-arid ecological habitat of the Deccan plateau. The breed was rapidly diluted, via government policies begun in the mid-90s to replace local wooly sheep breeds with hairy mutton varieties. The new mixed-breed sheep had more hair than wool that could no longer be spun into yarn. With this the wool production of the region began to fall.” Simultaneously, with the introduction of cheaper mill-made blankets in the market, the demand for gongadis diminished. The Indian Army, major buyers of the coarse black blankets, withdrew their custom. Consequently, the craft of weaving gongadis began to dwindle, till it was almost lost. <br /><br />The revival of the gongadi is the story of the initiative of collectives of shepherd communities and visionary NGOs who set about systematically to revive the original breed of the Deccani sheep. With availability of suitable wool, weavers began, once again, to weave the gongadis. By participating in the conservation of the breed and craft, they are rediscovering the traditional knowledge and identity of the Telangana people.</p>
