In the weaving towns of Bhavani and Kumarapalayam, the sound of looms has echoed through generations. Along the river plains of the Cauvery, Bhavani jamakkalam became the backbone of a thriving weaving community.
Having worked closely with jamakkalam weavers for several years, Varsha Sivakumar recently launched House of Jamakkalam (HOJ), an initiative that transforms traditional jamakkalam into contemporary everyday products while retaining the essence of the heritage weave.
For Varsha, the craft is deeply personal. Born and raised in Bhavani, she grew up among the looms, weavers and weaving clusters that define the town’s identity. “Jamakkalam is simply close to my heart and I was fortunate to be in a field where I could learn and appreciate both the craft and the people sustaining it.”
Her journey with the craft began in 2017 during her college years, when she started visiting weaving centres and documenting the traditions surrounding jamakkalam weaving. “I started observing and documenting the craft because there was so much oral history and so many minute nuances attached to it. Earlier, the craft was almost completely undocumented. Only in recent years has some amount of documentation started happening,” says Varsha.
As she spent more time with artisans and weavers, her understanding of the craft moved beyond aesthetics. She began looking closely at the lives connected to the loom, the realities of livelihood, sustainability and how traditional weaving could survive in contemporary markets. “After working with artisans for a long time, I understood what the craft needs, what the weavers need and how we can create something sustainable for them in the mainstream market. I was looking at scalable ecosystem solutions rather than isolated products.”
For over three centuries, Bhavani jamakkalam has sustained livelihoods across the region. Earlier, entire families were involved in weaving, working together in clusters under master weavers who owned multiple looms. “In the early 2000s, the craft was thriving. Anybody you spoke to was connected to weaving in some way. It was a family occupation, and entire households worked together around the loom.”
Today, HOJ works closely with around 30 to 35 weavers depending on the scale of orders. Through products such as utility bags, pouches and lifestyle accessories, the initiative aims to bring jamakkalam into modern everyday life without disconnecting it from its roots. “We are taking the colours and elements of traditional jamakkalam and slightly tweaking them in ways that feel more appealing for contemporary use,” she says. One of HOJ’s signature products is the ‘Smiling Pouch’, inspired by the traditional ‘Pallu Mutham’ stripe composition. Translating to “pearl-like teeth”, the geometric arrangement of the stripes resembles a woven smile. “The visual language already existed within the craft. We are simply reinterpreting it.” House of Jamakkalam also works with silk jamakkalams, expanding the possibilities of the textile while remaining rooted in its identity. For Varsha, the initiative is not about reinventing the craft, but carrying it forward responsibly. “As natives of Bhavani-Kumarapalayam and representatives of its weaving community, we approach this textile with responsibility. Each product is designed with reference to archival stripe composition
I started observing and documenting the craft because there was so much oral history and so many minute nuances attached to it. Earlier, the craft was almost completely undocumented. Only in recent years has some amount of documentation started happening
— Varsha
preserved within the region and carried forward with intention,” she says.
She pauses before adding a line that reflects the philosophy behind HOJ: “This is not revival. It is continuation; jamakkalam carried forward by its own people, from loom to life.”