Seeing Weaver Parents Struggle At Work, Son Develops Ergonomic Back Support System

Hyderabad: Behind the six-yard length of every saree is a story of hard work and dedication of handloom weavers who spend long hours sitting in loom pits to turn yarn into beautiful designs. But this traditional craft is often accompanied by constant back pain, body strain and other health problems.

Having witnessed these hardships at home, Vaggu Sriram, a third-year student at the Konda Laxman Bapuji Indian Institute of Handloom Technology (KLB IIHT) in Hyderabad decided to find a solution. His innovation has now earned national recognition.

Sriram developed a specially designed chair to provide back support to handloom weavers while they work at the loom. His ‘Ergonomic Back Support System’ (EBSS) has won the first prize at the National Handloom Hackathon.

Coming from a family of handloom weavers, he watched his parents spend long hours working at the loom since his early days. He noticed how sitting in the same position for extended periods affected their backs and overall health. On joining the diploma course at KLB IIHT, he began thinking about ways to reduce the physical strain faced by weavers.

What started as an idea gradually germinated into an innovation. With the encouragement and support of Principal Himaja Kumar and other faculty members, Sriram spent almost two years working on the design and developing the specialised loom chair. His aim was to make the traditional weaving process more comfortable without making it expensive or difficult to use.

The Department of Handlooms and Textiles recently organised the National Handloom Hackathon in Delhi where students from 11 IIHTs across the country participated in the competition presenting innovative ideas to address challenges in the handloom sector. Sriram showcased his EBSS and emerged as the winner securing the first prize at the national level.

He will receive a cash prize and a certificate of appreciation on National Handloom Day in Delhi on August 7. Special Chief Secretary of the Handlooms Department Sabyasachi Ghosh, Principal Secretary Shailaja Ramaiyer and Joint Director N.V. Rao congratulated Sriram on his achievement.

For Sriram, the award is more than a personal achievement. He hopes his invention will eventually reach thousands of handloom workers. “I developed this EBSS after witnessing the hardships faced by my parents. If it is mass produced, the chair can be made available to every weaver for around Rs !,000. I want to make more innovations that can reduce the difficulties faced by weavers,” he said.

His journey is a reminder that innovation does not always begin in sophisticated laboratories. Sometimes, it begins at home by seeing parents struggle and asking a simple question, “Can I do something to make their work a little easier?”

Sriram found his answer in a chair and turned his concern for his parents into an innovation that could help an entire community of weavers.

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