With a reduction in cotton farming in Ponduru, reliance on cotton from other places, and, eventually, the pandemic, the rich legacy of Ponduru khadi faces a gloomy future, according to Nalla Babu.
The hamlet, known for its long, uninterrupted heritage of producing exquisite khadi, made its mark during the independence movement when khadi spun here became Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite handcrafted garment.
Over 500 weavers worked in the industry until about a decade ago. This number has now dropped to more than 100.
The area under cotton cultivation in and around Ponduru and other parts of the district stood at over 10,000 hectares a decade ago. Now the area is only 3,500 hectares as many cotton growers have migrated to other crops due to poor rainfall. The production of fine Ponduru khadi is no less than an art involving a long sequence of meticulous processes performed by hand. Even if a whole family were to devote its entire time to making khadi garments, it cannot earn more than Rs 300 a day.
