Sungudi: a pattern made by hand

What a knot does

The pale dots of a hand-tied Sungudi cloth begin before the fabric enters the dye. A worker gathers tiny portions of cloth and binds them with thread. The tightly covered areas resist the colour. When the bindings are removed, the protected pattern appears against the dyed ground. A finished surface holds the record of many small, repeated movements. ^[26]

In From Homeland to Heartland, Anitha Rajarajan and Biswajit Balasubramanian describe Sungudi as a craft associated with Sourashtrian settlement in Madurai, with connections to western Indian tie-dye traditions. Its resemblance to Bandhani is an important craft connection. ^[26]

From plain cloth to patterned sari

The book describes several distinct stages of work:

1. Preparing and bleaching the cloth, then marking the intended design.
2. Binding selected points with thread to reserve the dotted pattern.
3. Protecting areas such as a contrasting pallu with wooden clamps, known as jodi kattai.
4. Dyeing, rinsing and drying the cloth, sometimes through repeated stages.
5. Removing the bindings to reveal the protected areas. ^[26]

Weaving the cloth and putting a pattern onto it are separate operations. The authors describe hand-tied work on powerloom fabric as well as cloth carrying printed patterns. ^[26]

The women behind the pattern

Knotting often took place in homes and courtyards. It brought paid textile work into spaces also used for cooking, conversation and looking after children. The book’s recollections describe learning by watching older women, carrying cloth during family journeys and checking the tightness of the tied points. Skill could be acquired outside a formal classroom, but it still required practice and judgement. ^[26]

Sungudi maker A. K. Ramesh describes efforts to train new knotters. Rasheela Premnath’s family account similarly connects women’s craft knowledge with later training work. ^[26]

Recognition in 2005

The official geographical indication record for Madurai Sungudi identifies application 21 and a registration certificate dated 12 December 2005. The book discusses the GI alongside the pressures of cheaper production and changing employment. ^[11][26]

A garment with several lives

Sungudi belongs to everyday dress, family collections and new creative settings. The book includes Radha Parthasarathy’s memory of her mother’s sari and dancer Anita Ratnam’s account of choosing Sungudi with costume designer Sandhya Raman for Naachiyar Next. An inherited textile can remain useful while taking on another role. ^[26]

Read alongside the history of looms and working lives, Sungudi tells a story about materials, women’s earnings, teaching and design, as well as about a recognisable pattern.