However, shortage of manpower, coupled with small production units has plagued this art form. Things have now come to such a pass that if one places an order now, it takes a minimum of 4-6 months to produce it. “If you order a Patola sari now, you’ll get it only after five years. We are fully booked till the next five years,” said a family member of ‘Shilguru’ Vinayak Salvi, an award-winning Patola artist.

According to him, it takes about four-six months for an equal number of skilled experts to make on sari. “Our ancestors told us that there were hundreds of such artisans many centuries ago, but now the number has reduced to just three families in the entire world,” said Rohit Salvi, who chose architecture over the art, as his profession.

Despite numerous awards that his family members have won in the past, Rohit wasn’t keen on taking up the art, as it did not guarantee a secure future.

A characteristic feature of Patola art is that its designs last longer. As such, the workshop here has samples that are centuries old. “With the economic boom, we have got some more customers, but this could not be translated into much profits as we have small production units, for which we are over booked,” said Salvi, adding that earlier, their art had a good market in places like Java, Jakarta and Indonesia.

Price range is as astonishing as the art itself. “The price for Patola saris start at Rs 90,000 reaching up to a maximum of Rs three lakh, depending upon the design,” Bharat Salvi, a skilled Patola artisan.

The high-profile clientele for this nearly-extinct art form includes the likes of Amitabh Bachchan and corporate czars, Tatas, Birlas and the JK group to name a few. Many big industrialists in the state are also prominent buyers of Patola wears.

Though this age-old textile art has few takers on its soil, Patola is admired across the world. A book titled ‘The Patola of Gujarat: Double Ikat in India’ has been released in two volumes to highlight this art. A museum in Switzerland also has Patola saris on display. Artisans claim that curator of the world’s biggest Victoria Albert museum in London had visited their production unit here in 1957.