New tech to give spin of life to weavers

Hyderabad: Handloom is associated with some hard labour. Among others, weavers have to physically exert to operate the Jacquard attachment, which enables the looms to produce fabrics with intricate woven patterns. However, weavers face problems while working with Jacquard handlooms due to the heavyweight of the Jacquard box, which houses the entire loom mechanism. The […]

Hyderabad: Handloom is associated with some hard labour. Among others, weavers have to physically exert to operate the Jacquard attachment, which enables the looms to produce fabrics with intricate woven patterns. However, weavers face problems while working with Jacquard handlooms due to the heavyweight of the Jacquard box, which houses the entire loom mechanism. The weavers lift this manually using their legs and a wooden lever. The entire setup weighs about 40 kg. The more intricate the design is, the more lifts are needed. The repeated movements and weight trigger strain and fatigue among the weavers.

Modha Technologies at Balangar, set up by Siva Kumar Modha, has a solution in the form of an attachment that will reduce the drudgery for the weavers. It can be used on all looms without any changes or additions to the looms. It also suits pit looms, which fit in a pit and the weaver makes the rug through the use of pedals. “The machine is useful for different types of looms. It can pull or lift both molds and jacquards simultaneously in a single weave and plain weave. It can be used to lift two jacquards separately or simultaneously. The addition makes it easy to weave,” said Modha explaining about the features.

Cost

“We are pegging it around Rs 16,000 initially. We have a patent for the technology of the machine,” he said. The use of the machine will not cause physical exertion or induce fatigue to the handloom weavers. This can also be used for enhancing the speed apart from lifting the weights, the entrepreneur said. According to him, there is a good demand for this as manual labour is reduced significantly.

Modha Technologies is supported by Palle Srujana, a voluntary organisation aiding and promoting creativity at the grassroots level in the States of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. It scouts and documents knowledge and innovations across rural areas. These innovations are promoted and provide support for validation, value addition, patenting, reengineering, manufacturability, marketability and business incubation.

Modha is getting ready for sales later this month. The company is willing to hold demos at the weaver premises to explain about its labour-saving features. He has a team of technicians ready in case of technical problems. The unit comes with a one year warranty, he added.

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