Janaki said, “In ‘Ikat’ the threads are carefully sorted, warp and weft divided into bundles, then tied with locally available water proof materials like plastic sheets, rubber strips from car and bicycle tyres, then dropped into colour. Once you untie the knots, you can see white threads dotted with colour at intervals”.Ravi said, “Teacher, how do they know where to tie the knots?” Janaki smiled, “The ties indicate the design we want. We can look at a design or a motif and a tie.” Ravi looked puzzled, it did not seem simple.

“Ravi, You are absolutely right” the teacher said. “It is not easy. First you count the threads, measure the distance, calculate when to repeat a pattern. Only then you can tie the knots.”

“Teacher, it seems like difficult maths,” Ramya said.

“Correct. Weavers may not be formally educated but have complex calculations at their fingertips. They draw patterns on the graphs and copy them on the threads.” Janaki continued, “Just close your eyes and imagine! Threads stretched out long with dots of different colours shining. I have seen such a sight in villages of Nalgonda.” Someone said, “Teacher, the dots are like raindrops, ‘chukka’, that is how the name ‘chitiki rumal’. This was the favourite headgear of fishermen and other labourers. It was also the towel on the shoulders of traders in Gujarat”.

She suddenly thought of another explanation. She asked, “Children, when you have to measure a small quantity of a material you use a specific word in Telugu”. This time Ramya answered promptly, “chitikedu,” and before she completed, comprehension was written large on every child’s face. “Teacher, chitiki means small and small dots of colour which are characteristic of Ikat”, they chorused. The class was jubilant. They were able to come up with an original explanation for a historical phrase.

“When trade was vigorous with other nations in South – East Asia, “tie and dye” or chitiki, as lengths of fabric was a favourite export item, both in silk and cotton.” She said, “There are other interesting stories on Ikat. Different regions fight about its origin. Did it travel from Gujarat to the South or vice versa? Did it first originate in the coastal belt of travel from Gujarat to the South or vise versa? Did it first originate in the caistal belt of