Kochi in grip of 'saree wars'

Kochi, Apr 11: Forget about 'star wars', this city is in the midst of a 'saree wars'.

Days after newcomer 'Kalyan Silks' got swashbuckling batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni to open a spanking new nine-storied showroom on Hospital Road in the heart of Kochi and the UAE-based Joy Alukkas group lit up the Marine Drive with its plush multi-product 'Wedding Centre', homegrown 'Jayalakshmi' last evening announced a '365 day' festival to celebrate its 60 years of existence in Kochi city.

While the details of the year-long festival, starting on April 14, are being kept under the wraps for the time being, the celebrations would be ''customer-oriented'', the second generation managing partner of Jayalakshmi, Mr Satheesh Kamath, said at a press conference here last night.

Clearly, at stake is the estimated over Rs 1,000 crore market for wedding sarees in Kerala, which is growing by the day, with 'designer sarees' besides popular North Indian dresses such as 'churidar sets' and 'lehngas' being added to the traditional, silk domianted wedding wardrobe of 'Kanjivarams.' While Kochi has traditionally been a happy hunting ground for brides-to-be, drawing clientele from smaller Kerala towns and even capital Thiruvananthapuram, the city was now emerging as the second biggest silk hub after Chennai in South India, Mr Kamath said.

Non-resident Keralites and foreigners shopping for sarees were also a growing segment of customers in Kochi, he added.

The city's vibrant market could be gauged from the fact that in 1947, Mr Kamath's father had started the saree business from a cramped, 150 sq. ft. shop on the Broadway. Sixty years later, his sons have moved to a 100,000 sq. ft. showroom on M G Road, the centre of the retail trade in Kochi.

''But, our style remains that of the traditional cloth merchants.

We like to know the names of each of our customers personally,'' he added.

Whether the traditional style would survive, or would have to give way to the glitzy newcomers, is what the 'saree wars' in Kochi is all about.

UNI