They are also migrating to other industries now. Chetty says that the manufacturing units of MNCs located in the Sriperumbudur belt between Kanchipuram and Chennai offer them wages of Rs.7, 500 a month compared with the Rs.6, 000 that weaving a high-end saree would fetch them. Chetty expects production to dip in the future if this trend continues. For now, the existing weavers, with average age of 40-45 years, are mostly sticking to the profession. Some change has come through technology though.

Designs are all computerised and every private player and handloom organisation has its own design unit. The designs are mounted on the jacquard loom-a mechanical loom invented by Joseph Marie Jacquard in 1801-that has holes punched in pasteboard, each row of which corresponds to one row of the design.

These rows were earlier hand-made. They are now fully computer aided designs (CAD), says S Govindarajan who's the Head Designer at Kancheepuram Silk Weavers Cooperative. But this technology upgrade does not mean powerlooms will be used instead of handlooms. All the players explain that it is the handloom, which is the USP of the saree. "That is what makes us what we are," says Palanisamy.

Diversification into garments other than the ubiquitous saree is another trend that's taking shape. Silk bed sheets and pillow covers are being sold mainly to the hospitality sector, says M Gnanamoorthy, director, SM Silks. This has brought higher margins, he says, and the company has grown by around 30% in the last couple of years.

Owners like him, who are the present generation in management, are now sporting Blackberry phones and wearing branded shirts, a sign not just of prosperity but also of technological awareness. With several enquiries coming from abroad for their sarees, they can't afford to lag behind. Gnanamoorthy points out that they are using natural dyes as opposed to the traditional chemical dyes. This, according to him, has earned the company goodwill among its customers, particularly the more environment conscious ones.

The shortage of weavers may also be a temporary phenomenon. "With a slowdown in the manufacturing and IT sectors, we see some of the young weavers coming back," says Chetty of Nalli Silks. For this town where hope is ever alive, the Gods might just make sure that the town stays immune to economic turbulences.

Originally published in "The Economic Times" dated November 10, 2009