This Thiruvonam, falling on September 5, President Droupadi Murmu is expected to don a specially crafted organic handloom sari woven by K. Raveendran, a veteran weaver from Peringamala on the outskirts of the Kerala capital.

The unique sari, featuring a delicate athapoo (floral carpet) motif symbolising the Onam festival, is intricately woven into a leaf design on the 1-metre pallu. It took 62-year-old Raveendran 18 days to complete the piece.

Raveendran is a member of the 26-year-old Jaikish Handloom Weavers' Co-operative Society in Kalliyoor, Peringamala. The order for the President's sari, along with a golden ponnada (shawl) for the Prime Minister and royal ponnadas for seven other VIPs, came through the Kerala State Handloom Weavers' Co-operative Society Ltd (Hantex) last month.

V. Santhosh, secretary of the Jaikish cooperative, entrusted the task to Raveendran without hesitation. "He's my most trusted weaver," said Santhosh, adding that Raveendran, along with fellow weaver Vijayan and a team of 63 artisans, worked tirelessly to meet the deadline.

"We have been gifting handwoven saris and ponnadas to the President and the Prime Minister for the past three years. But this year's work has been special because of the intricate design and craftsmanship of our weavers.

"The sari for the President is made from tissue silk with a one-fourth-inch stripe design. We have specially woven a golden ponnada in tissue silk for the Prime Minister, which has a one-fourth-inch check design. The royal ponnada meant for home minister Amit Shah has been woven in a mix of silver and gold threads," said Santhosh.

Prices of the special handloom products range from ₹2,000 to ₹25,000. However, sources indicate Hantex plans to sell similar designs at a higher price in the future. K.S. Kripakumar, director of the Kerala handloom and textiles department, said this was the first time a handloom initiative of such a large scale and involving a structured implementation had been undertaken.

In addition to the VIP orders, the weavers have produced 110 regular ponnadas, which will be sent to New Delhi ahead of Onam. Last week, Kerala industries minister P. Rajeeve and finance minister K.N. Balagopal received the handcrafted textiles from Santhosh and his team during a special event held in Thiruvananthapuram.