A family man, Ashok Sakri hails from the Dotihal village where he lives with his wife and two sons. Apart from weaving, they run a small general store selling stationery articles, candies and a few other small items. While the shop helps them meet their expenses, both husband and wife enjoy weaving much more. Ashok and his wife have a creative outlook and like to experiment with designs and colours.
While they seek external help for some of the processes involved in weaving a saree, the couple mostly divides the responsibilities between themselves. Ashok’s wife takes charge of the pre- and post-weaving activities, while Ashok does most of the weaving. The couple weaves the pallav together, which is also known as seragu in local parlance. Woven using a fly shuttle, it requires two people to operate it. They hope that with the gradual increase in awareness about, and appreciation for handloom products, the sector will flourish and become a source of sustainable employment for current and future generations of weavers.
