Mulagumoodu
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Introduction
Kamini Mathai, Sep 25, 2022: The Times of India
CHENNAI: Around 125 years ago, two canonesses from Belgium, Mother Marie Louise De Meester and Mother Marie Urusule, arrived in Mulagumoodu in present-day Kanyakumari district, on a mission to educate orphan girls. But what blossomed parallelly was a culture of lace-making and embroidery, which continues to this day.
“In the past, almost every household in Mulagumoodu would send their women folk in to learn embroidery and lace making. It was a way of making women independent. The numbers have dwindled today because there are other sources of employment, but we are still handling orders from around the world,” says Sister Sahaya Selvi, administrator of the Infant Jesus Technical and Educational Institution, where the ancient art is still thriving, catering to orders from around the world.
The Institution held an exhibition of lace work at the Little Flower Convent (LFC) in Chennai earlier this week. With the laces being popular, LFC is soon setting up a dedicated space on its premises to showcase the institute’s work. “It’s our way of promoting this age-old art. We still use the techniques of two centuries ago. Everything is done by hand. That is why one lace sari takes six months to a year to make,” says Sister Selvi.
Handmade lace sarees are priced from Rs 1 lakh onwards. The techniques used are so unique that they are referred to as “convent lace” and “convent embroidery”. The designs are first created on tracing paper, the outlines are then pricked on to a piece of chart. The lace is then created and woven over the design with cotton threads and bobbins. “These lace saris are passed down generations. Even if it gets worn out, the motifs can be removed and stitched onto a new sari.”
They also specialise in Carrickmacross lace, where they use needlework on a net-like cloth. “It’s very delicate and difficult to do as the person has to work both over and under a suspended cloth net,” says Sister Selvi. Incidentally, the wedding dress of the late Princess Diana featured a square of Carrickmacross lace.
Sister A Mercy, who works with the Institute’s Kulasekharam centre, is 80 but still lacing up. Her proteges – she has trained more than 5,000 of them over 60 years – call her the “living legend” because she still keeps them on her toes regarding embroidery. “I still go to the local markets and clothing design stores of every city I am in to see what is popular. And then I incorporate those designs into our embroidery.
There’s no time to rest or we will fall behind,” says Sister Mercy. “I don’t know how to use a computer though. I get my design ideas from real life. If I want embroidery in the pattern of a flower, I go to my garden. If I want a bird, I look up at the sky. There is enough inspiration around you.”
The institute has also introduced a four-year training course in lace-making and hand embroidery, but the takers have reduced, says Sister Selvi. “Traditional embroidery and lace-making requires patience. You can work for days and finish just a square metre of lace. And to top it, we are competing against machines. Still, we’re not giving up,” she says.
