This weaver holds the thread to prosperity

Panchai Pidithavan Panchai, goes an old Tamil saying, which, literally translated, means ‘one who is involved in the task of weaving will end up starving’. PA Sekar, a 51-year old weaver from Guruvarajapet village in Arakkonam, wanted to prove this wrong. 

“I always had the idea of introducing new techniques in the weaving process to enable my community to maximise productivity and minimise the workload,” says Sekar. His humble background did not deter him from realising his dreams. 

Today, Sekar has two powerful warping machines to his credit, a few awards and was even honoured by IIT Madras in 2014 when he spoke about his technology to professors and students there. “I had a lot of interest in science and technology and started reading books on them. I felt even I could create something that would help in the process of warping. I spent days, looking for spare parts for the machine, then assembled and created it.

 I wasn’t even doing my daily weaving for years and had no income while I was devising the machine. But finally, when I managed to create the machine after six years, it was all worth it,” he says. He now runs the PA Sekar Scientific Research Centre that looks at technology solutions to ease the burdens of the weaver community. 

“Warping, a process done before weaving, usually requires at least three people; so a weaving family cannot earn more than Rs 300 a day. But my machine requires only one person, and a weaver can earn Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,200 a day,” he explains. The Indian Institute of Handloom Technology has recognised his inventions by providing accreditation. 

U Sagayam, a former managing director of Co-optex known for his contribution to the textile industry and taking up the cause of weavers, visited PA Sekar in Arakkonam and appreciated his work. Last year, Sekhar received the CavinKare MMA Chinnikrishnan Innovation Award. 

The awards notwithstanding, he has no plans to patent his invention. “In India, it takes six to 10 years to be granted a patent for an invention,” he says. “What is the point? By then, there are so many developments, especially in the technology sector and the invention might even become obsolete. It is essential that the patent process is speeded up and more legal rights are given to innovators.” Sekar is looking forward to carrying out research that will involve youngsters from his village.

 “I plan to build a Research & Development centre to invent more machinery and bring interested youngsters from our village into the fold of scientific research, especially if the government can support this financially. Innovations alone will make India a superpower and I am willing to contribute in my own small way towards it,” he concludes.