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Context

• Gongadi shawls, the resilient fabric, has been repurposed into all-weather shoes for farmers by three alumni of the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad.
• The shoes are being sold under the ‘yaar’ brand name.

About Gongadi Shawl

• For generations, the rough wool of the sturdy Deccani sheep has been handcrafted by the Kuruma and Kuruba -- pastoral communities spread across the Deccan plateau -- into a tough, all-weather shawl called a gongadi in Telangana.
• Gongadi, (known also as Kambal) is the traditional woolen blanket woven by the indigenous Kuruma pastoralist communities from wool of the indigenous Deccani sheep (known locally as Nalla gorrae) breed found in the Deccan Plateau region including the Indian state of Telangana.
• The coarse woolen blanket is famous for its durability and versatility.
• The tough gongadi usually lasts for more than a decade and acquires this unique quality from the craft of hand weaving.
• One of the unique nature of gongadi is that it does not fade but grows darker in time.
• The indigenous Kuruma weavers say that gongadi is so strong that you can lift a fully grown bull off the ground with it.
• The weaving craft of Kurumas is not limited to weaving just gongadi but also includes weaving carpets, bedsheets, stolls, scarfs, bags, etc. from wool.
• The traditional gongadi is produced organically, without using any dyes either natural or synthetic. Sizing of the strings is done using the paste of soaked and cooked tamarind seeds. The border/hem (Kada) of traditional gongadi is woven in many designs, which are as follows:

About the Deccani breed

• It derives its name from the region Dakkan (Deccan) corresponding to its original spread across the Semi arid & Deccan plateau of Telangana, Parts of AP, Northern Karnataka, Maharashtra, and parts of Northern Tamil Nadu.
• Sheep found to the North of the Tungabhadra River are called “Deccani” and those to the South of it, “Bellary” Deccani is a recognised meat breed.
• The Deccani breed is the only pure black coarse wool breed in India.
• It is reared mainly for lamb production Locally in Telangana it is called as "Nalla Gorre" or Black Sheep.
• The breed is highly climate resilient and is best adapted to the semi-arid tracts.
• It is a highly threatened breed, and rapidly disappearing, as it is being outcrossed with non-wool hairy mutton sheep breeds such as the Nellore in Telangana, Madgyal in Maharashtra and Khillari in Karnataka.

About Kurumas

• Kuruma is a shepherd community in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
• They have their own indigenous knowledge in sheep rearing, blanket weaving and telling Oggu (traditional) stories.
• Kuruma community livelihood depends on forest and natural resources as they are rearing sheep.
• Sheep rearing activity is semi-nomadic in nature.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/telangana/telanganas-woollen-gongadi-shawls-refashioned-into-shoes-for-farmers/article66901130.ece

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