News Karnataka
Friday, March 29 2024
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Udupi

Floods may have dampened the loom, not their determination!

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Udupi: The rains this year have left Udupi district battered and if locals are to be believed then the district has witnessed such a heavy downpour after 38 years.

While no loss of life has been reported in the districts, many have lost their houses and properties this year. 

One of the many houses that stand inundated is that of Lakshman Shettigar, at Mattu in Katapadi. The flood has silenced the loom that is their only source of livelihood, but the flood has not dampened their grit and determination to keep the show going on.

Weaving is undoubtedly a dying art in the coastal belt, but the Shettigar couple has managed to keep the handlooms alive over the last 55 years.

Problems have always been a part of this couple’s lives, but they had never expected the rains to ruin their plans. The flood water that gushed into their tiny house had not only left the loom half submerged, but has also damaged the threads stocked at home.

The half woven, checkered saree lurks at the couple. If the 72-year-old hands of Laxman Shettigar had completed the saree, soon this saree would have been worn by an artiste staging the resplendent Yakshagana within a few months.

The picture of the Shettigar couple standing near the loom has gone viral on social networking site and the expression on their faces speak volumes about their state of mind.

Shettigar, while speaking to Vijaya Karnataka Kannada news daily said that he may need Rs 10,000 to fix the handloom and he is waiting for the handloom to dry so that he can start the repair work.

“We weave sarees for Yakshagana artistes. That is our main source of income. However, after the floods hit the loom and after our images went viral, many people had come forward to help us. I am grateful to each and every person who sympathised with us,” he said.

 

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