SRE weaves magic on Modi, Xi shawls

Shawls may be just pieces of cloth. But when a weaver, designer and a design tool provider named SRE Corporation collaborated to create magic on them, they become objects of beauty! More than that, when two leaders—Modi & Xi—flaunted them, then many wondered where they came from!

Sirumugai, a small village in Coimbatore, famous for its silk saree production and silk saree bazaars, is celebrating with joy. The reason behind these villagers’ joy is very simple – the bright-red shawl gifted by India’s honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Chinese President Xi Jinping had a portrait of the Chinese leader and was woven in the small town of Sirumugai.

The designer, M Dharmaraj and weavers—A Shanmugasundaram and E Manoj Kumar—in Sirumugai worked tirelessly for over 15 days to weave the shawl after the Department of Handlooms and Textiles placed an order with their cooperative society.

M Dharmaraj, with the help of the cooperative society, purchased the handloom electronic jacquard from Coimbatore-based SRE Corporation, who is one of the leading manufacturers of electronic jacquard machines for the weaving sector. The handloom electronic jacquard, which was used for weaving the shawl, can be used in the field of handloom, power looms, rapier looms, among others.

Speaking on the proud moment, NS Rajan, owner of SRE Corporation, said, “We supplied two electronic jacquards to the designer, who weaved the shawl. We are proud to be associated with this society for the wonder work of art. Thank you for giving this opportunity to supply these jacquards. We are also thankful of our technical persons, staffs, and associates, to develop a wonderful technology, i.e., electronic jacquard, which can be used in handloom.”

V Ravikumar, President of Sri Ramalinga Sowdambgai Handloom Weaved Cooperative Society said they handed over the shawl to the Department of Handlooms and Textiles’ Coimbatore office. Later, the cloth was sent to Chennai and was kept ready for the event.

On the electronic jacquard, NS Rajan said, “We are the leading manufacturer, exporter and supplier of a range of electronic jacquard machines. Our provided machine is well manufactured under the guidance of experienced professionals using premium grade factor inputs and high-end technology. The machine is available in different technical specifications as per the varied demands of our clients. The handloom electronic jacquard machine is a semi-automatic machine, with around 240 hooks, and can produce a number of good designs.”

Similar to the shawl with the portrait of the Chinese leader, the Sirumugai weavers have also knitted a shawl for PM Modi, which was kept on display during the Mamallapuram event.