My white Toda shawl featuring red and black embroidered wild flowers, honeycombs, streams, and mountain peaks flutters in the cool breeze. I clutch it as I walk barefoot across the rolling meadows to Manjalkad Mund, a Toda village set in the Botanical Gardens in Udhagamandalam. The mund is home to about 25 Toda families; one of the oldest indigenous tribes of the Nilgiris.
The Toda population is estimated to be around 1,700, scattered across 60 hamlets. Pethai Kuttan, a 60-year-old Toda retraces their history while we enjoy coffee at his home. Sai Lakshmisin, his wife and Nirupasin, his daughter-in-law, both wearing poothukuli (the Toda shawl) discuss the intricate embroidery, which was given GI status in 2013.
The shawl is now available online at Jaypore, an artisanal lifestyle brand from Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail (ABFRL). Discussing how they have been working with the community for the past three years to popularise the intricately-embroidered shawls, Sooraj Bhat, CEO, Ethnic Business, ABFRL says that through the association, they not only showcase the craftsmanship of Toda artisans but also honour their cultural legacy. The brand engages in a direct purchasing model for these shawls and stoles, which sell at a starting price of about ₹ 3,250 onwards, and Sooraj says that online sales have been consistent.
“As the Toda craft is highly specialised and practised exclusively within the community for centuries, there haven’t been an extensive skill development initi.