Loom Tourism Weaves Path to Revive a Traditional Sector

Intrigued travellers have been turning to the art of weaving as a means of immersing themselves in local culture

- ANU KURUVILLA @Kochi

Clickety-clack, clickety-clack... went the loom as 73-year-old Barbara Schaefer works it with the rhythmic movement of her arms and legs as the fabric took shape.

For the past two weeks, Barbara, who hails from New Zealand, has been learning the art of traditional weaving at Neythuthara in Chendamangalam, Ernakulam. But why would a tourist spend her entire visit inside a dusty, noisy and stifling traditional neythushala (weaving unit), instead of enjoying the beaches, rivers and hills? As it turns out, this is a new form of tourism!

One that banks on the thirst for learning a new skillset.

And, Barbara is just one of many foreign tourists who were intrigued by the concept, developed by Save The Loom, which, according to its own website, is "a nonprofit community group to revive, restore, and restructure the handloom industry in India".