The Chettinad Kottan basket takes centre stage at this Chennai exhibition

Once reserved for weddings and temple rituals, the Chettinad kottan, a hand-woven palm leaf basket, returns to the spotlight at The Folly. The exhibition, Fibre to Form: The Kottan Story, marks the beginning of the M.Rm.Rm. Cultural Foundation’s 25th year celebrations, spotlighting a craft that was revived, sustained and reimagined by the foundation over the last two decades. 

“This is our first project and most successful one,” says Visalakshi Ramaswamy, founder of the foundation. “We have got all that we wanted to do with this — revive, document, and sustain it for 25 years.”

A woman weaving a kottan at the M.Rm.Rm. Cultural Foundation
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

When the foundation began working with the kottan, there were no plans to turn it into a commercial product, but sustaining the craft meant adapting it to the present. “It was an object used in rituals and wasn’t in demand in today’s day and age,” she explains. “So, I turned the basket into a packaging product to be relevant.” 

The kottans on display span years of design from older ritual-style baskets to recent festive collections and new revival efforts in crochet and bead work. “This revival happened unexpectedly when we found someone in Gujarat who wanted to teach bead work. They trained our women, and then some local people who themselves do crochet. We felt like we had come full circle. The kottan was complete, so it felt right to celebrate it,” she says, adding that these baskets will also be on display. 

Women at the M.Rm.Rm. Cultural Foundation
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Today, the foundation also uses plastic and wire to make baskets, an unconventional choice in craft revival circles. “Some people can’t make the kottan — it’s not as simple as it looks. It’s quite complicated,” says Visalakshi. “But those people also need a livelihood. It was difficult for me to come to terms with that, but today I have accepted it… your stomach is bigger than anything else.”

To weave a kottan, tender palm leaves are harvested, sliced into thin strips, dyed over the course of two days, and woven into baskets while they are still wet and pliable. It is a time-consuming process, and the foundation works with over 100 women in and around the town of Karaikudi. “They have been with me for 25 years, and all of them went through a year-long training to be able to make kottans,” she says. Still, she admits the future of the craft is uncertain. “Younger generations from these craft communities are not interested in this kind of work,” she says. 

Kottan
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Challenges, she says, have been constant — from sourcing raw materials and convincing women to continue the work, to marketing and making sure the products reach the right audience. Despite uncertainties, her goal remains unchanged. “The motto of my foundation is to document and revive,” she says.

The exhibition also marks the beginning of a series of showcases by the foundation, each highlighting a different revival effort. Upcoming chapters will focus on Athangudi tiles, traditional lime plaster, handwoven saris, wall stencilling, painting, and more.

Fibre to Form: The Kottan Story is on display at The Folly, Amethyst on June 27 and 28.