In the bustling railway stations of Telangana and amid the rush of daily commuters, local artisans and weavers, once overshadowed by the dominance of retailers, are finding their voices heard and their creations cherished. Thanks to the ‘One Station, One Product’ (OSOP) scheme initiated by the Indian Railways, a tapestry of opportunity has been woven, connecting the artisans’ exquisite handlooms with the hearts of countless passengers.
Iqra Begum of Aarunya Handlooms, a self-help group from Narayanapet, running the stall at the Secunderabad railway station, says, “Lakhs of passengers come to the station daily, and many visit our stall. The sale of handlooms per day is about 3,500, and the number goes up to 5,000 during festive occasions. We are really grateful for this opportunity, which is greatly helpful for our weavers.”
Earlier, weavers were totally dependent on retailers and unable to host such a huge market with marginal charges, says V.Praveen, a weaver of Chenetha Sahakara Sangam – Handlooms Cooperative Society, who runs a stall at the Nizamabad railway station. “But now, the Chenetha clothes are gaining favour with passengers. We are really thankful for such a scheme to provide a market to the underprivileged weavers,” he adds.
About 26 railway stations in Telangana including Secunderabad, Hyderabad, Kacheguda, Warangal, Nizamabad, Gadwal etc., are covered with 29 stalls under the OSOP scheme, launched by the South Central Railway (SCR) last year, to give a boost to the livelihood and welfare of local artisans, informed SCR chief PRO, Ch.Rajesh.
Handloom products by local weavers such as the traditional Narayanpet, Gadwal and Pochampalli saris, millet-based food products, TSCO handlooms, Bhadrachalam bamboo crafts, temple deity idols, forest collections, handicrafts, Nirmal toys, local delicacies etc. form part of the ensemble.
The Gadwal sari is a handcrafted one woven in Jogulamba Gadwal district and the weave is so light that the sari can be packed in a matchbox. Narayanpet district is also renowned for its exquisite and unique cotton handloom and silk saris, hence more than six outlets have been allocated to this variety of sari, Mr.Rajesh said.
Seven railway stations have stalls offering millet-based products. At present, 72 railway stations across SCR are covered with 77 such outlets giving visibility to local products in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka under its jurisdiction.
“Railway stations are well suited to promote indigenous products, which are famous at the surrounding places among the travelling passengers,” said General Manager Arun Kumar Jain, in a press release.
