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In 1971, Shri Chawery, a textile designer, from
Weavers Service Centre, Vijayawada, visited
our village to introduce some new designs
in Ikat weaving. I was just twenty-one at the
time. I had an opportunity to meet him and
he showed us some designs and said if anyone
could weave those designs with tie-dyed
yarns he would arrange for the textiles to be
displayed at the first ever National Handloom
Expo to be held in New Delhi which would
be visited by the then Honourable Prime
Minister Shrimati Indira Gandhi and other well-
known personalities. I took up the challenge,
successfully created the designs by the double-
Ikat technique and as promised the textile was
displayed at the expo.
Everybody who visited the Theme Pavilion
appreciated my work and it got me instant
recognition. Noticing my skill and talent in the
double-Ikat technique, Shri Chawery was very
impressed. In 1973, he informed me that a post
of Ordinary Weaver was vacant in their office.
He sent me an application suggesting I apply
for that post. I applied for it and was selected
for the post of Ordinary Weaver in 1975. I was
posted to Weavers’ Service Centre, Vijayawada
and a new chapter of my life began.
After joining the government service our
family’s financial position improved. I had an
opportunity to visit handloom weaving centres
like Chirala, Venkatagiri, Mangalagiri, Uppada
