Sometimes, the most meaningful relationships in our work begin with a problem.
My association with Pulugurtha Weavers Cooperative is one such example. What started as an attempt to get a few design samples made eventually became something much more valuable. It gave the cooperative an opportunity to develop its own yarn and gave me a reliable partner with whom I could explore new possibilities.
It became a relationship where both sides had something to gain.
When Things Refused to Move
During my work with Malkha, I travelled to different spinning and weaving units across Andhra Pradesh. I wanted to understand how the yarn was being produced, how it reached the weavers and what possibilities existed for design development.
I was particularly interested in the texture of Malkha yarn. I wanted to work with its natural variations and create simple, elegant fabrics.
But as I travelled between the different units, I began to notice that the difficulties were not always technical.
There were problems with coordination, communication and responsibility.
I would calculate the quantity of yarn required and ask the unit to send it to a selected weaver. Sometimes the yarn would not reach because the concerned person at the unit was unavailable. At other times, the yarn would be ready, but the weaver would not turn up.
Everyone seemed to have a reason, but the work was not moving.
On one of my visits to Chirala, I became quite determined to set up at least two looms. I wanted to finish some sampling and had already spent nearly two months without producing anything.
We finally managed to prepare the warp. The weaver was an elderly person, and I was not entirely happy with the arrangement, but I decided to go ahead.
There were several practical difficulties too. The weavers had only one reed made from jonna panni, a millet grass. I wanted a slightly denser structure for my designs, which meant getting a customised reed.
With a metal reed, we could simply order another one and have it within a few hours. Here, the reed had to be made by hand and brought from Mangalagiri. It could take thirty to forty days.
It was a completely different way of working.
After a long day of drafting, denting and setting up the loom, the weaver finally started weaving one of the samples. I was relieved.
He told me that he understood the design and would finish it within two weeks. He also brought another weaver into the process to work on the second warp.
I returned to Hyderabad feeling quite hopeful.
The Loom That Had Not Moved
About two weeks later, I returned to Chirala.
I reached early in the morning, had my favourite egg dosa and went straight to the weaver’s house.
The loom had not moved even a little.
I could still see the marks I had made with a pen while setting it up during my previous visit.
I was disappointed.
I went to the DCYT unit, but it was not yet open. After waiting for some time, people slowly started arriving.
When I asked about the work, the response was that the design was difficult and nobody had been able to weave it.
For the next month and a half, I kept hearing different reasons. Someone had a marriage, someone was unwell, there was a death in the family and so on.
I understood that these were real situations in people’s lives. But I also realised that I could not continue spending my time waiting for something that was not moving.
By then, I had started working regularly with the Pulugurtha Weavers Cooperative on a shirt collection for a friend.
They had three active looms. We knew the people there and had already developed a working relationship.
One day, while struggling to get the Chirala samples made, I thought of trying Pulugurtha.
I spoke to the cooperative. They were willing to take up the sampling if I provided the necessary yarn and accessories.
I immediately contacted the Chirala unit and asked them to send the yarn to Pulugurtha.
But there was another problem.
The person heading the DCYT unit told me that they could not send the yarn outside. Their understanding was that yarn produced there had to be used within the village and by registered users.
I was confused. The whole idea, as I understood it, was to make locally produced yarn useful to weavers and create possibilities around it. But I was being told that I could not take the yarn to another willing weaver, even for sampling.
A Conversation That Changed Things
When I returned to Hyderabad, I met Uzramma and explained the situation.
She said that it was the DCYT unit’s decision.
I told her that my work was design development, not production. If I did not have the freedom to work with a weaver who was willing and capable of trying the designs, I would not be able to continue.
I asked her to think about it.
That evening, Hamsunder called me and asked for the quantities of yarn that needed to be sent to Pulugurtha.
Within a few days, the yarn and the necessary loom accessories reached the cooperative.
I went to Pulugurtha for two days and planned four designs on two looms.
The response was completely different.
The weavers understood what I wanted to explore. They were willing to experiment, discuss and make adjustments wherever necessary.
Within eighteen to twenty-four days, the samples were ready.
I returned to Hyderabad carrying the fabrics and went straight to the Malkha office to show Uzramma how well the designs had been executed.
After months of waiting and frustration, it was a very satisfying moment.
But something more important had happened.
I had found a group of weavers who were not only willing to make samples but were also interested in exploring possibilities with the yarn.
An Idea Beyond Sampling
During one of the discussions, I heard that Malkha was considering setting up another spinning unit at Pasalapudi Cooperative.
I was not entirely convinced that it would work. From my visits to different units, I had already seen how difficult it was to keep these systems running when there was no clear ownership or responsibility.
I felt that a spinning unit needed someone who was genuinely interested in taking responsibility for it and eventually running it independently.
I began thinking about Pulugurtha.
They had already shown that they were willing to work with the yarn. They had active looms, people who understood weaving and a cooperative that was interested in taking things forward.
I spoke to Uzramma after one of the meetings and suggested that Pulugurtha could be a good place for a spinning unit.
I explained that the opportunity was much bigger than simply installing a spinning machine.
If the cooperative could produce its own yarn, the weavers could use it to make their own fabrics. They could explore different yarn qualities, develop products and create their own market.
They would have greater control over the entire process instead of depending on someone else at every stage.
Uzramma agreed to consider the idea, provided the Pulugurtha Society expressed its interest formally and also spoke to the Pasalapudi Society.
I immediately called Satyanarayana garu, the secretary of the Pulugurtha Weavers Cooperative, and explained the possibility.
He understood the idea and was interested.
We discussed what it could mean for the society to have its own spinning unit and the freedom to produce yarn according to the needs of its weavers.
A letter was prepared expressing their interest in setting up the unit.
A Relationship Built on Give and Take
Looking back, I feel two important things happened between me and the Pulugurtha Cooperative.
The first was an opportunity for the society to build an asset of its own. A spinning unit would give its members the ability to produce their own yarn, experiment with different qualities and develop fabrics with a character of their own.
The second was that I found a group of people I could depend on for my design development work.
I needed a place where I could experiment without spending months waiting for a sample. They had the willingness, the skills and the interest to work with me.
I was bringing design ideas and new possibilities to the table. They were bringing their knowledge, infrastructure and willingness to experiment.
Both sides were gaining something.
For me, this was much more meaningful than simply finding a place to get my samples woven.
The cooperative was not just doing a job for me, and I was not just giving them work. We were helping each other build something.
I was able to complete my design development work, and the society had an opportunity to strengthen its own spinning and weaving activities.
Over time, this relationship continued, and I went on to do two design development projects with them using Malkha yarn.
What This Experience Changed in Me
Until then, I had often looked at projects as a series of activities that needed to be completed. We identify a problem, find someone to do the work, arrange the material and get the product made.
But this experience made me think differently.
What if we looked beyond the immediate work and asked what each person or organisation could gain from the relationship?
What if the objective was not simply to get something done, but to build something that would continue to be useful even after the project was over?
I realised that a good collaboration should not make one person or organisation dependent on the other. It should help both become stronger.
Pulugurtha taught me the value of working with people who take responsibility and are willing to find solutions instead of waiting for someone else to solve their problems.
It also reinforced something I strongly believe today: decentralisation is not just about setting up small units in different places. It is about giving people the ability to make decisions, take responsibility and have greater control over the resources and processes they depend on.
A spinning unit is only a machine. What makes it valuable is the people who own it, understand it and use it to build something of their own.
My relationship with Pulugurtha continues even today. What began as a search for a willing weaver became a relationship built on trust and mutual understanding.
I went looking for someone to weave my samples. I found a cooperative with whom I could build possibilities.
That, for me, is the difference between getting work done and building a relationship.
