Tamil Nadu weaver weaves India’s first ‘anti-viral’ saree

C Sekar, a weaver from Anakaputhur, a suburb near the Chennai international airport, has made India's first ‘anti-viral’ saree in an eco-friendly manner.Sekar, who has been involved in eco-friendly weaving using natural fibers from various products including banana stem, pineapple and vettiveru among others and his products are of great demand across the globe.  Now, he had weaved an ‘anti-viral’ saree that not only prevents the user from viral infections but also reduces the body heat as neem, Tulasi and turmeric were used as basic products. The sarees were introduced by the Goa Governor last month and he had already started receiving orders.

He, who has been in the weaving business for the past 15 years, has been using natural fibers to take the business to the next level thereby making it eco-friendly. His products were sent to IIT in Delhi for research and the team in turn has confirmed that his products are capable of reducing skin infection and reducing body temperature. He has also entered the Limca book of records.

He did not stop with producing sarees with fibers from banana stems, but also made jeans pants and other handicrafts like bangles, earrings and other ornaments from the same fiber. More than 50 women self help groups are working closely with him.He also gave a month-long training to weavers in Assam about eco-friendly weaving.