Chekutty, Kerala's mascot of survival, comes to UAE

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Chekutty, Keralas mascot of survival, comes to UAE
Chekutty making workshop in Abu Dhabi.

Dubai - The revenue generated from the sale of Chekutty will be donated to the Kerala Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund.

by

Anjana Sankar

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Published: Tue 27 Nov 2018, 10:00 PM

Last updated: Wed 28 Nov 2018, 10:08 AM

Chekutty, the handloom doll that has emerged as the mascot of Kerala post the devastating floods, is coming to the UAE.
Workshops to teach 'Chekutty making' from soiled fabric retrieved from the handloom mills of Chendamangalam, which were destroyed in the flooding, are being held in Abu Dhabi.
The Abu Dhabi unit of Friends of Kerala Shasthra Sahithya Parishad (FKSSP), an organisation that strives to promote scientific temper among public, has launched the campaign to bring "Chekutty to every UAE household".
"This is our humble contribution to promote and support Kerala's rebuilding efforts. The idea is to spread the message of Kerala's resilience and hope and get people rally behind the cause," Smitha Dhanesh, president of FKSSP, Abu Dhabi, told Khaleej Times.
An exhibition of Chekutty dolls and workshops will be conducted from November 29 to December 1 on the sidelines of Keralotsavam, a three-day event which will be held at the Kerala Social Centre in Abu Dhabi under the theme 'Rebuilding a new Kerala'.
She said FKSSP has partnered with Handloom Weavers Co-Operative Society and bought fabric by paying them up-front. 
"As the first stage, we have bought fabric to make 1,500 dolls. But we already have more orders and people and social organisations from other emirates are joining our workshops to learn how to make Chekutty. We can already see that Chekutty is becoming a hit in the UAE."
"A single piece of saree can be used to make 360 Chekutty dolls. One saree would generally cost Rs1,300. If we can make 360 dolls from one saree, with each doll costing Rs25, the value of the saree goes up to Rs9,000," Gopinath Parayil, founder of The Blue Yonder travel company, explained the concept.
He said ever since they made the first Chekutty, the response has been overwhelming and it has become a volunteer-based movement across the world.
"Within the first week, we were flooded with orders from across the world for soiled fabric. We are glad to see Chekutty debuting in the UAE," said Parayil, who will be in Abu Dhabi on December 1 along with Lakshmi Menon to conduct Chekutty workshops. 
Parayil said the raging political crisis surrounding the Sabarimala issue has taken the focus off the realities of flood and its impacts and the immediate need for rebuilding a better Kerala.
 "While we were wasting our crucial time on communal divide, we were reminded by our brethren in Abu Dhabi about where we should ideally move. They have once again inspired us Malayalees to refocus on rebuilding Kerala. The energy they gave us has also inspired us to launch 'Chekutty gatherings' across Kerala to reminisce about what happened during the flood and how we were united with our humanism. Like the mascot Chekutty, we will once again find our grip."
anjana@khaleejtimes.com 

Who is Chekutty?  

"Chekutty has scars. Chekutty has stains. But Chekutty represented each one of us who survived the floods," reads the Chekutty website. The handloom doll is the brainchild of social entrepreneurs Gopinath Parayil and Lakshmi Menon, who came up with the idea of upcycling handloom sarees destroyed in the floods. 
The mascot, which now has come to symbolise resilience and hope for the south Indian state, has also helped resurrect the livelihood of more than 600 weavers of Chendamangalam, a traditional handloom village in the Ernakulam district that faced the worst deluge in August. 
'Cheru' means mud and 'kutty' means child in Malayalam. So Chekutty means the child who survived the mud and dirt of floods," Parayil, founder of The Blue Yonder travel company, told Khaleej Times. 
 

Chekutty making workshop in Abu Dhabi.
Chekutty making workshop in Abu Dhabi.

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