Mrs Visalakshi Ramaswamy – November 29th, 2013
‘The Kottan – palmyra basket of Chettinad’ authored by Mrs Visalakshi Ramaswamy (standing next to the Minister) was released by the Indian Finance Minister Mr P.Chidambaram in October at Chennai.
Visalakshi Ramaswamy, the founder of the M.Rm.Rm Cultural Foundation is an enthusiast of craft and culture and has been an active advocate of craft development for many years. She has documented the craft and heritage of the Chettiar community along with S. Muthiah and Meenakshi Meyyappan in the book ‘The Chettiar Heritage’. She realized that several old and traditional houses were coming down at a fast pace, and several craft and hobby crafts of the region were disappearing.
Documentation of all these craft was crucial because even though many of these crafts were not in practice today, people who worked on these crafts were still around, most of them being octogenarians. The need to document everything while there was still access to information seemed vital. The M.Rm.Rm Cultural Foundation was set up in 2000 with the primary objective of documenting, preserving and reviving the many crafts of the region. Project Kottan was one of the first initiatives of the Foundation, and this book is the culmination of many years of being involved in the collecting, researching, resurrecting and reinventing of the humble kottan.
Ms. Ramaswamy is an Executive Committee member of the Craft Council of India, and is very much involved in its projects. She also works with the World Crafts Council in projects to promote and encourage craft education in schools. She is a member of the All India Handicrafts Board of the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, and on the advisory committee of DakshinaChitra, working with them on several of their initiatives.
Ms. Ramaswamy is passionate about the textile traditions of India and has been working for many years to revive the handloom weaving traditions of Tamil Nadu. Kandanghi is her line of traditional Chettinad silk and cotton sarees that have many admirers in India and abroad.
Ms. Ramaswamy has also curated a lifestyle exhibition of the Chettiar community at her home in Chettinad and is currently involved in setting up an in situ museum to recreate the actual experience of a traditional Chettiar home.
Ms. Ramaswamy’s zest, enthusiasm and deep passion has sustained her work in the craft sector. Her vision and forethought has helped her maintain a balance between the ideal and the practical, and this has been the key to the achievement of her goals.
Recently she authored a book ‘The Kottan – palmyra basket of Chettinad’ which was released by the Indian Finance Minister Mr P.Chidambaram in October at Chennai.
The Palmyra Basket of Chettinad not only showcases the finest basket weaving tradition of the region, but also serves as an important record of the traditional techniques of kottan basketry that were languishing for decades – till Visalakshi Ramaswamy through the M.Rm.Rm. Cultural Foundation undertook the task of reviving the craft.
The book explores the journey of the beautiful Kottan from its role as a hobby craft in the Chettiar community, to its disappearance and revival. It brings out the history of the Kottan and its traditional uses, details the weaving process and materials, and includes comprehensive design documentation. The intensive revival process and the circumstances of the craftspeople of today complete the story of the Kottan. Awards, international recognition, the Geographical Indications tag and an extensive clientele now ensure that the Kottan today has found a place in the contemporary home: a happy ending to a near tragic tale.
Visalakshi Ramaswamy’s vivid recollections of the Kottan in her youth enrich the narrative. The extensive documentation of designs and painstakingly illustrated techniques give the book archival status.
The book is organized into ten richly illustrated chapters, complete with accompanying text and line drawings of the basket making process, a glossary, and over five hundred colour illustrations of traditional and contemporary baskets. The book is a must-read for anyone with an interest in craft, culture and design, and will be indispensable to craftspeople, academics and designers alike.
Her interview will be featured in the next issue
Source and photo: M.Rm.Rm. Cultural Foundation