Wooden Reeds - Rami Reddy Palem
A small village named Rami reddy Palem in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh is famous for wooden reed products. It is situated near to the famous pilgrimage center Tirupati which is 60 Km from away from the railway station and 36 kms from Srikalahasti, it is also one of the well-known pilgrimage center near to rami reddy palem.
Telugu is the local language in this village and an approximate of 20 families work on wooden reeds, however the present generations are not involved in reed making as it involves a lot of man hours and cannot be completed by a single person. To fully complete a wooden reed in one day it usually takes 3 to 4 people. Craftsmen work from morning to night till 10º clock to complete a day’s target.
The handloom sector in India is one of the largest economic activities, which provides direct employment to around 65 lakh people who are engaged in this activities. It also plays a major role in improving the country’s economy contributing around 19 % of the cloth produced in the country. The craftsmen face a huge challenge by powered looms which are semi-automatic however the flexibility, creativity and the craftsmen is what the powered looms cannot duplicate, keeping the handloom sector alive and running.
Reed is an essential part of loom because it makes it easier for the craftsmen to identify loose ends, damages and errors at the initial stages of weaving, it separates the warp threads and holds them in their positions making sure it doesn’t get tangled and also used to push the weft yarn securely into place as it is woven. Pit looms, floor looms and mechanized looms use reed.
