Ramraj Cotton puts a spin on Bhavani’s jamakkalams with chic carpets and tote bags

“In the town of Bhavani, three rivers meet and so do colours, threads and stories,” writes Lakshmi V, in the children’s book, From Bhavani, With Love , published by Karadi Tales. 

These stripes of colour across the spectrum, from red and green to purple and yellow are a common sight in Tamil Nadu; as jamakkalams or large, thick carpets on the floors of homes, temples, wedding halls or even at sombre gatherings. Over the last few years, the jamakkalam has gone places; from the ramp of the London Fashion Week to boutiques in Chennai and around the country, featuring on clothes, bags, rugs and more. 

The jamakkalams will be compact in size, for homes and smaller spaces
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Focussing on newer colour palettes, contemporary patterns and utility formats, ethnic wear brand Ramraj Cotton has now introduced jamakkalam rugs and bags, working with weavers in Bhavani. For KR Nagarajan, the culturepreneur, founder and chairman, this move beyond apparel is one where the origins feel all too familiar. “When I began working on veshtis nearly 43 years ago, we ended up working with many weavers to revive looms and bring the garment to the forefront. There are so many things of great cultural significance across the country that do not have enough patronage, and we were keen to work on jamakkalams with weavers in Bhavani,” he says. 

He stresses on what having a platform like his means, that is able to take the product and market it in such a way that the next generation continues to highlight its significance. “I strongly believe tradition and innovation should come together, and also want more awareness on jamakkalams,” he adds. 

In maroon and yellow stripes, or in deep purple with white and teal stripes, the jamakkalams made by Ramraj come somewhere between a small to medium dhurrie size, perfect for smaller apartments. The jamakkalam pattern also lends itself to cotton tote bags, available as a part of this new line of products. While the jamakkalams are priced at ₹1,795, the tote bags are priced at ₹2,045.

As a part of this initiative, Ramraj has also launched two books on the famous striped carpets. The children’s book From Bhavani, With Love  (in English) and Anbuden Bhavani (in Tamil) by Lakshmi V published by Karadi Tales features illustrations by Zainab Tambawalla and photographs by Amar Ramesh, tracing the story of little Sumi, whose grandfather is a skilled weaver working on jamakkalams. The dazzling colours of the carpet ; purples, reds, blues and more feature in every page. 

A coffee table book, Bhavani Jamakkalam: People’s Dhurrie Of India  published by Mara Labs encompasses a sprawling collection of photographs and the documentation of Bhavani and its resident weavers who breathe life into the jamakkalam by Amar Ramesh. The nostalgia a jamakkalam evokes is something that the photographer recalls drawing him in, as he set out to make a documentary on the GI-tagged carpet in 2021. 

“In the book, we have extensively documented the engineering and the craft behind this; anyone can read this and be inspired to replicate a loom to weave these carpets. Our hope is that it catches the eye, and the jamakkalam remains in conversation,” Amar says. 

The jamakkalam rugs and totes are available for sale on ramrajcotton.in . The books can be purchased at select Ramraj Cotton outlets, or from karaditales.com and at maralabs.in