Keeping Kasavu Alive: Artist Lakshmi Madhavan’s Journey with Kerala’s Weavers

Balaramapuram, once a flourishing handloom village in Kerala, was known for its masterful weavers and its iconic kasavu textiles - the traditional white-and-gold saris synonymous with Kerala's identity. Over 1,500 artisans once kept this intricate tradition alive. Today, fewer than 50 remain.

The reasons are many: low wages, lack of innovation, little institutional support. But artist Lakshmi Madhavan is working to shift that story.

“I’m an artist who works with textile as a primary material,” says Lakshmi. “Specifically, kasavu, you might know it as the white and gold sari. It’s steeped in meaning, memory and identity.

Lakshmi collaborates directly with Balaramapuram’s weaving community, to create contemporary installations using kasavu. “The process is completely by hand,” she explains. “It’s labour-intensive, and there’s no machine-like precision. But that’s where the magic lies.”

Her engagement isn’t just about material. It’s about people. Lakshmi has trained and worked with local women, offering not just skills, but above-average wages and a sense of purpose. Understanding the distance, social, cultural, economic, between artist and artisan has become a key part of Lakshmi’s practice. Yet there’s hope. “The second generation is taking notice. When they see the work getting national and international attention, they’re curious. They see possibility beyond kasavu as they’ve always known it.”

In a time when traditional crafts are fading, Madhavan’s work isn’t just about preserving a textile - it’s about giving the people behind it a voice, a platform, and perhaps, a future.