India: Day Two

On our second day we visited Pochampally Handloom Park.  It started off with a drive we were told was forty-five minutes…but actually lasted three hours.  Our bus driver maneuvered our bus through a rural village, backing up and turning around multiple times (we were a bit lost) but we saw monkeys, pigs, goats, cows, chickens, and dogs.

Pochampally is a vertically integrated facility that specializes in ikat.  Ikat is a type of surface design created using a resist.  It is a difficult design to make because it uses individually dyed yarns to weave patterns into the fabric. After spinning, the yarn is tied with small rubber strips to protect it from the dye, similarly to how you may use rubber bands while tie-dyeing.  After all the ties are in place, the yarns are dyed.  Depending on the design, this process may be repeated numerous times, starting with the lightest color dye and working towards the darker shades.

The yarns, once completely dyed, are checked for alignment.  The completed warp yarns then are threaded through harnesses that are used by the handloom.  The handloom harnesses are alternated using a pedal, making sure that the design truly becomes a part of the weave.  The finished piece is checked for quality and then product can be sold.

After our tour, we had a chance to go to their store where they sell products made from their ikat fabric.  I bought yardage for custom shirts and button downs as gifts.  When we were leaving, there was a whole group of school children who must have heard that the Americans were at Pochampolly.  They swarmed as us we walked to our bus, asking to shake our hands, for high-fives, and what our names were.  We're celebrities here!

Our night concluded with a dinner at the Hyderabad Golf Club.  It was a beautiful outdoor affair complete with a cocktail hour.  We returned home exhausted from our long day!