What does a sari carry?

In this episode of Noorakke Nooru Karnataka, we sit down with Pavithra Muddaya to explore the many lives of the sari in Karnataka—not just as fabric, but as memory, labor, identity, and inheritance. From the legacy of Vimor, started in 1974 with her mother Chimy Nanjappa, to working closely with weavers across the state, Pavithra traces how each sari carries a geography within it.

This journey also lives on through the Vimor Museum of Living Textiles, where these histories are preserved as living traditions. In Molakalmuru, she speaks about introducing a dotted line within the weave — a small but significant intervention that made the process easier for weavers, opening up livelihoods.

These saris came to be known as Pooje saris, because they were often sourced from temple auctions, carrying with them  ...