India: Day Twelve

Today we said goodbye to Erode and started our trip back to Bangalore by way of Tirupur and Yercaud.

We checked out of our hotel in Erode and drove down to Tirupur for our first stop of the day: Jeyavishnu Tex Processors Private Ltd. This textile processing facility prides itself on its low environmental impact and compliance with environmental law and regulations. Jeyavishnu is capable of producing GOT certified fabric, as they hold separate facilities within their plant that exclusively uses certified organic dyes and finishes. They can also produce fabric that is OEKO-TEX certified, which signifies that the fabric’s processing does not result in any residual toxic chemicals. Unlike our previous factory visits, Jetavishnu only produces circular knit fabrics. The facility operates 24 hours a day and only closes 4 days a year for the Pongal holiday. 500 employees work here – about 150 workers per 8 hour shift – and of that 500, 400 workers live on-site and 100 live off-site in the neighboring towns.

We were not allowed to take photos inside the facility, unfortunately.

Following this visit, we went to lunch at a restaurant and then stopped at a market in downtown Tirupur. Many shops were selling grey goods, seconds, and surplus garments left over from production that are then sold at a great discount. It was fun to sort through the racks of knit garments to find hidden treasures and try to pinpoint which fabrics had defects.  In between the shops were little bakeries and stores selling snacks, at one of which I finally found my brother's favorite Indian snack, Kurkure.

​We wrapped up our day with a four hour drive to Yercaud, where we were spending the night.

After a chair-gripping ride made up of twenty hair-pin turns up a mountain, we arrived at Hotel Aradhana Inn.  Shoutout to Sunder for getting us there!  This was my favorite place of every where we stayed.

We were welcomed with a bonfire and meal served by hotel staff, who were eager to carry our bags to our rooms, help us figure out the room lights, and anything else we could possibly need!  We ate well, danced and goofed off with each other, and most importantly, had a warm shower and good night's rest in a clean room.

It was really a way to wrap up our evening.