Show highlights revival of Lambadi embroidery

An artisan collective is working to create livelihoods for those practising the community's fine thread-work skills

A movie screening, exhibition of antique Lambadi art and a photo exhibition showcasing the life of the community is on from Feb 13 to 14 in Bengaluru.

Porgai Artisans Association, putting up the show, was formed in 2006 to revive the community’s fading tradition of hand embroidery.

The Lambadi (also referred to as ‘Lambani’) community migrated from the northwestern parts of India and settled in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu several hundred years ago. In Sittilingi valley of Tamil Nadu, two women, Neela and Gammi, started teaching embroidery, a craft they had learned from their grandmothers, to others in the community. They have now completed 15 years of teaching.

“Many, young and old, started learning. The women named the association ‘Porgai’ because in Lambadi dialect it means ‘pride’,” says Dr Lalitha Regi, working with the community for 27 years. The association is now 60 artisans strong, with six tailors and seven administrative staff. Of them, only three are men. Creating a market
Creating a livelihood out of embroidery has not been easy. “Most who know the art are marginal farmers and it is difficult for them to survive on those earnings alone, forcing many to migrate. This brings in money, but a lot is lost, from health to social well being,” says Regi.

The association has so far been able to sustain its activities. “For three years, Titan supported the artisans as a part of their CSR, but that ended three years ago,” she says. In March last year, after the association paid everyone, and it just had a bare minimum to keep its bank account alive.

“It was a dry season in the valley and hence, no farming. Relatives who had migrated came back. So the artisans were the only ones who were still earning. We had to borrow to pay them,” she says.

The community created a rag doll out of waste fabric and called it ‘Covida’. “She is a symbol of hope and positivity, and we want to share it with the world,” she says.

Docufilm on art

A 51-minute film called ‘Porgai (Pride): A Film On The Revival Of Lambadi Art,’ directed by Anagha Unni, is being screened on Feb 13, 11.30 am and 5.30 pm, and on Feb 14, 11.30 am and 3.30 pm, at the Bangalore International Centre, Domlur.