Madhusudhan Tanti wonders who will buy the Kotpad saree he wove for Rs.300, when a polyester saree sells for Rs.90.

In his forties, this weaver from Dongriguda village in Kotpad tehsil of Odisha's Koraput district, has been weaving the famed Kotpad sarees for many decades. The Kotpad saree has intricate motifs and is woven with cotton threads in vibrant shades of black, red and brown.

“Weaving is our family occupation. My grandfather wove, my father wove and now my son is weaving,” says Madhusudan who also does multiple other jobs to support his eight-member family.

This film, A Weave in Time was made in 2014 and explores Madhusudan’s inherited craft and his difficulties in sustaining it.

Watch the video: A Weave in Time

Kavita Carneiro

Kavita Carneiro is an independent filmmaker based out of Pune who has been making social-impact films for the last decade. Her films include a feature-length documentary on rugby players called Zaffar & Tudu and her latest film, Kaleshwaram,  focuses on the world's largest lift irrigation project.

Other stories by Kavita Carneiro
Text Editor : Vishaka George

Vishaka George is Senior Editor at PARI. She reports on livelihoods and environmental issues. Vishaka heads PARI's Social Media functions and works in the Education team to take PARI's stories into the classroom and get students to document issues around them.

Other stories by Vishaka George