Weavers of wellness: Wearing ayurveda

The handloom weavers of Balaramapuram near Thiruvananthapuram have given a fresh lease of life to the ancient science of ayurvastra—a branch of ayurveda. In ayurvastra, yarn or fabric is treated with ...

By Mexy Xavier
May 12, 2018, 19:31 IST2 min
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At the Handloom Weavers Development Society, fabrics are bleached in a solution of aloe vera, before they are dyed
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Red sandalwood, to be used as red dye, is broken into small pieces before being powdered
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The powder is mixed with freshly plucked medicinal leaves, spices, roots and water
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The mixture simmers over firewood
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The organic dye is strained through a fine cloth<br /><br /><br />
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Stirring of the clothes into the herbally formulated dyes
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Yarn is soaked in the dye. Depending on the strength of the colour required, it may remain soaked for a few days
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The dyed material is rinsed and...&nbsp
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Again soaked in water...
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Then rinsed again to remove foreign particles
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The cleaned fabric is wringed one last time
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The herbally treated yarn (or fabric) is dried in a dark room, the floor of which is covered in medicinal leaves
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Ayurvastra fabrics, dyed in various colours and dried, hang on a clothes line at the society. Commonly used organic dyes include turmeric (yellow), marigold (orange), neem (green), henna (b...
Image by Borja

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