Mysore Business Directory
Dedicated to providing resources and advancement services for Mysore India's smaller businesses
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Mysore Silk Saree
Mysore is the home of the famous Indian feminine wear, the Mysore Silk Saree. Mysore Silk is a trademark for the silk sarees produced by KSIC (Karnataka Silk Industries Corporation). The distinguishing feature of this saree is the usage of pure silk and 100% pure gold zari (a golden coloured thread containing 65% of silver and 0.65% of gold). These sarees are manufactured in a silk factory located in Mysore city. This factory was started in the year 1912 by the Maharaja of Mysore by importing 32 looms from Switzerland. In 1980, this factory was transferred to KSIC and now has around 159 looms. Every saree produced here comes with an embroidered code number and a hologram to prevent misuse. Mysore silk sarees are also undergoing an innovating change with the use of kasuti embroidery, thickly woven pallus (the part of the saree worn over the shoulder), bandhini techniques and new colours like lilac, coffee-brown and elephant-grey 
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 The sun shines bright on these vendors in Mysore By Sharath S. Srivatsa SOLAR POWERED: Chaat vendors at Gandhi Square in Mysore using solar lamps at night. MYSORE: Hawkers at Gandhi Square area here have seen business improving in recent months, and the reason behind it is a novel initiative by two entrepreneurs. The hawkers, who were earlier dependent on lanterns, have now been provided with solar-powered battery lamps for a nominal amount each day, and this apparently has improved their business. The supply of solar lamps to the hawkers has reduced their dependence on lanterns, which used to consume plenty of kerosene, apart from emitting fumes that caused inconvenience to the customers. The solar lamps, which burn longer, have also allowed them to continue their business for an extra hour.  Financed by the State Bank of Mysore, the two entrepreneurs, Jayaram and Rajendra, invested on solar lamps, which are hired out to 50 hawkers at Gandhi Square for Rs. 10 a day. The batteries are recharged every day and the lamps are delivered to the hawkers by the evening. The initiative has not only succeeded in creating entrepreneurs, but also reduced the burden on the hawkers. This new proposal has attracted a number of hawkers selling clothes, shoes, food and other products. Many are eager to utilise the service offered by Mr. Jayaram and Mr. Rajendra. The solar lamps have especially helped those who sell eatables such as chaats. The lamps have been supplied to the hawkers without any deposit, which has reduced the hawkers' expenditure on lighting. The initiative has also helped hawkers dealing in clothes. Many hawkers have in the past lost their products in accidents when the kerosene-powered lanterns fell on the clothes, and resulted in either minor fire mishaps or staining of the garment. The Chief Manager, Lead Bank, SBM, K.P. Pradyumna, told The Hindu that the initiative has resulted in savings of Rs. 15 every day for hawkers as they were earlier spending around Rs. 25 on kerosene on an average daily. Some of the hawkers who had resorted to using inverters have now started showing interest in solar lamps. Mr. Pradyumna said that while the initial investment for an inverter is around Rs. 11,000, the lighting is the same as that one gets from a solar lamp. "The entrepreneurs have already repaid 20 per cent of the loan amount within three months. More hawkers have shown interest in the solar lighting system as the cost of lighting comes down by 50 per cent," added Mr. Pradyumna. By R. Krishna Kumar  A FORMULA FOR PROFIT: Agricultural scientist H.L. Vasanthkumar explaining the benefits of multi-storeyed cropping system. Agricultural Research Centre at Naganahalli develops a new method of cultivation MYSORE: It is a panacea for farmers seeking to enhance and double their income and the crop yield. Modified and further perfected by scientists at the Agricultural Research Station at Naganahalli, the multi-storeyed cropping system for horticultural products has yielded positive results and is reckoned to be apt for those with small landholdings. Cultivating a variety of crops on a small plot of land and harvesting multiple crops to double the income is a concept that farmers generally ignore and prefer monoculture. But the scientific study and experiment conducted at the Agricultural Research Station has shown encouraging results as a result of which more number of farmers were making a beeline to the research station on the outskirts of Mysore to apprise themselves of the cultivation methods. Although in vogue in many parts of India, the multi-storeyed cropping system had been modified to suit local needs of farmers. H.L. Vasanthkumar, Senior Farm Superintendent, said: “The concept entails planting three varieties of crops with different morphological characteristics in the inter-space between the main crop on a plot of land. “The experiment was conducted on one-hectare plot of land and sapota fruit was the main crop planted at a distance of 30 feet from one another with guava planted in between and at a distance of 15 feet. In between the sapota and the Guava were banana plants. While it takes about eight years for sapota to yield fruit and three years for guava, six months is what it took for banana to yield fruit. But since no farmer can wait that long we introduced radish, beans and other vegetables that can be harvested within 60 days and regularly fetch revenue for farmers,” said Mr. Vasanthkumar. “The investment we incurred was about Rs. 80,000 against which the gross income will not be less than Rs. 2 lakh which is about 1.5 times the normal income that was accrued through conventional farming methods entailing one single crop,” he added. Once the sapota plant begins yielding fruit, farmers will have an additional Rs. 35,000 an acre with two crops or harvests every year. Given the positive results and the success of the experiment there had been a spate of inquiries from farmers and those specialising in horticulture, said Mr. Vasanthkumar who said that the Research Station would conduct a workshop in the last week of August for the benefit of farmers so as to popularise the multi-storeyed cropping system. There were other benefits accruing to farmers whose importance cannot be ignored. Since each of the crop had different nutritional requirement, there was no competition among them and the soil fertility would remain intact. Legumes had been introduced in between the crops and this not only took care of soil erosion and the weeds but helped fix atmospheric nitrogen, according to Vasanthkumar. But the method goes against the conventional practice of monoculture and hence needed better promotion. Although the system holds good for conventional farming methods based on chemical inputs, the scientists here preferred the organic methods devoid of chemical components and the yield and the net revenue per unit area increased. The crop density for a unit area was high under the multi-storeyed cropping pattern. The net impact would be on farmers whose income would increase while their expenditure would remain the same. The natural resources would be harnessed to its fullest potential with only organic wastes that could be reused during the next cycle of cultivation. The concept was reckoned to be suitable for Mysore and surrounding regions which is ideal for horticulture but is yet to be taken up on a large scale. |
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