Authentic lace artistry from the banks of the Godavari river. Over 100 years of exquisite craftsmanship — now empowering rural women artisans directly, without middlemen.
Narsapur, situated on the west bank of the River Godavari where it meets the Bay of Bengal, has been famous for lace making noted around the globe for over 100 years. Most of the rural and semi-urban women from poor communities earn their livelihood through this beautiful art.
Lace making was first introduced to this region by Mrs. Macro of Scotland. Over time, middlemen began exploiting the artisans — paying meager wages while amassing wealth through overseas exports, leaving women with no certainty of year-round work.
One such exploited artisan, Mrs. K. Hemalatha, took a courageous stand. She approached the All India Handicrafts Board and was encouraged to form a Cooperative Society. She then traveled to over 30 villages — many only accessible on foot — spending more than 2 years convincing women artisans about the benefits of coming together.
The middlemen tried with their influence to prevent the society's registration. At one point, Mrs. Hemalatha and fellow artisans had to stage a hunger strike at the Industries Department headquarters. She escalated the matter to the ministerial level and finally succeeded in getting the society registered on 19th May 1979.
Mrs. K. Hemalatha became the founder president and designer of the society, facing both technical and personal challenges to better the financial conditions of lace artisans.
She fought tirelessly — even staging a hunger strike — to ensure the cooperative was registered despite fierce opposition from powerful middlemen exporters.
Her success on 19th May 1979 marked the beginning of fair wages and dignified work for hundreds of rural women whose exquisite craftsmanship had long been taken for granted.
Interested in our handcrafted lace products? Reach out to place an order, inquire about wholesale pricing, or simply learn more about our artisans and their beautiful work.
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