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Tamil Nadu tops GI chart with 58 tags; three more products join the league.
Aug 01, 2023

Three more products, unique to Tamil Nadu, have obtained the Geographical Indication (GI) tag, further strengthening the state’s top rank in the list of GI products.
 
The GI registry is to confer GI recognition for Jaderi Tiruman (Namakatti) that adore the foreheads of top deities and Vaishnavites all over the world, the delicious Matti Banana of Kanyakumari district and the Chedibutta sarees of Tirunelveli district. These are the new entrants to the GI hall of fame which has nearly 420 products so far.
While Tamil Nadu’s tally has reached 58 now, Uttar Pradesh is in second position with 50-plus products, followed by Karnataka with 48, said IPR attorney P Sanjai Gandhi, adding that the tally is as of April. Some more products have been granted the GI tag during the April-July period as well, he told TOI.
Sanjai Gandhi alone has obtained GI recognition for 40 products for various cooperative societies and government departments. Ever since Tamil Nadu government appointed him attorney two years ago, he obtained 17 GI tags. At least 15 products from Tamil Nadu are awaiting the GI registry’s nod, he said.
The GI application for Jaderi Tiruman, filed on behalf of Jaderi Thiruman (Namakatti) Producers Society in Jaderi in Thiruvannamalai district, said one of the most visible external symbols of Hindu identity is the unique mark worn on the forehead. Worshippers of Lord Vishnu wear a tilak in the shape of 'U' (called Naamam), which is believed to protect the wearer from evil.
 
The finger-length white Jaderi Tiruman made of hyrous silicate minerals has immense cultural, religious and medicinal significance. About 120 families in the tiny village of Jaderi in Tiruvannamalai district have been making these Namakatti for about three centuries and supplying them all over India and abroad.
The natural ingredients available in Thenpoondipattu village are collected and made into Namakatti by artisans after a tedious and time-consuming process. The skills are traditionally and hereditarily transferred from their forefathers.
The selection of the appropriate kind of clay itself requires expertise. The rocks are then crushed by the traditional rollers drawn by Tow bulls (chekku maadu). The clay is then put through a filtering process and stored in tanks for 20 days until it turns white. After this, the clay paste is cut into finger-shaped Namakattis which are sun-dried for four days. The Namakattis are then exported to Vishnu temples across the world.
The production of Namakattis depends on the climatic condition as it needs a lot of sunlight to dry, said Sanjai Gandhi, adding that the white tilak cools the forehead, protects the wearer and prevents energy loss. It is used to adorn the foreheads of idols, men, and temple elephants as well as to cure stretched skin after childbirth.
The GI tag has been conferred on Kanyakumari Matti Banana based on an application by Kanyakumari Banana and Horticulture Farmers Producer Company Limited.
Matti banana (musa sapidisiaca) is a diploid cultivar commercially grown in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu. Kanyakumari located in the high rainfall zone with annual rainfall about 1,469 mm. Matti banana is mostly grown in the Agatheeswaram, Thovalai, Thiruvattar taluks, and it is a traditional table banana cultivar having medicinal value, said Sanjai Gandhi.
The fragrant fruit is known for its sweet and sub-acid flavor, firm texture and powdery nature. The 15-month crop is considered a rare variety and is grown only in the hills of South Travancore (Undivided Tamil Nadu and Kerala) near Nagercoil. Its bunches weigh 12 to19 kg with 9 to 10 hands containing fairly long fingers.
Kanyakumari Matti banana has other variants like Semmatti (red Matti), Thaen Matti (Honey Matti) and Malai Matti (Hill Matti).
Though banana is not generally recommended to infants for upto six months, Matti variety is included in the diet of infants in Kanyakumari area due to low TSS value. Tribes of Western Ghats use the corm extract of Matti as cure for jaundice.
The applicant has traced the Matti reference in several literature and government records, and also said one medium-size banana would provide approximately 13% of our daily manganese needs. Manganese helps our body make collagen and protects our skin and other cells against free radical damage. Potassium in banana helps our body maintains a healthy heart and blood pressure. The low sodium and high potassium combination help to control high blood pressure. Bananas are also rich in vitamin C that protects our body against cell and tissue damage.
Application for the third GI tag-winner, Chedibutta Sarees, has been made by Veeravanallur Sowrashtra Weavers Cooperative Production and Sales Society Limited in Tirunelveli district.
The name Chedibutta is a combination of two Tamil words -- ‘Chedi’ (plant) and ‘Butta’ (motif or design). Chedibutta saree has the iconic 'plant and flower' motif woven on the border and Pallu (edge of the saree), and these small Buttas punctuated beautifully all over the saree. This flower plant design or the Chedibutta design is the intrinsic characteristic of this saree, said Sanjai Gandhi.
It is totally a handloom product made in in art silk and cotton mix fabric. One Chedibutta saree contains eight Chedibutta designs in the body and 5 on the Pallu. The saree is woven using art silk thread while the Chedibutta designs are made using brightly coloured cotton threads.
The entirely manual process involves preparation of cotton yarn using a Charkha and the preparation of the warp beam to the complete weaving process of the saree. The weavers do not use a power loom or a peddle loom. The Chedibutta design is not made by Jacquard machines either. Multiple cotton colour yarns are used to make each design and there are colour variations from design to design within a single Saree. The weavers use pirns to wind the weft yarn during the pirn-winding process and shuttles are used as carriers of yarn during weaving.
The Chedibutta saree has a soft texture which is suitable for the tropical climate. It is comfortable in summer and warm during the winter. Due to the nature of the raw materials used, these sarees do not wrinkle easily and are easy to maintain. They weigh light too.
    
timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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