Narsapur is a small town situated on the West bank of the Vasista Godavari River, where the river flows into the Bay of Bengal. Narsapur and its vicinity forms the tail and delta area and has been famous for lace making for more than 100 years. Most of the rural and urban women belong to the poor communities are eking out their livelihood by lace making.

Originally Mrs. Macre of Scotland introduced this lace making. Unfortunately the middlemen exporters who got the lace articles manufactured by these women artisans exploited the lace artisans by paying low and meager wages and amassing wealth by exporting these laces to overseas countries. Even then there was no certainty that the women artisans would have work around the year. Their employment by middlemen exporters depends upon the orders. The middlemen who were playing an important role in production and export of these good had a monopoly in the entire lace business exploiting the poor artisans. The wages they paid to the artisans were negligible and they were not at all sufficient for the maintenance of their families. The work involved in making laces is voluminous and the beauty and the finishing of the articles these artisans manufacture is exquisite. Lace artisans displaying their dexterity and skill will manufacture these articles. In short these articles are result of the sweat ad labor of our artisans. But unfortunately we were denied the right of wages and middlemen exporters subject us to much exploitation.

The late Mrs. K. Hemalatha was also a lace artisan and Founder, President and Designer of this society. Having experience the exploitation of these middlemen exporters, she approached the All India Handicrafts Board for help and was advised by the above Board to form a Co-operative Society.

We had to confront several troubles and tribulations (technical and other) to get the society registered. Mrs. Hemalatha, with the aim and object bettering the financial position of the lace artisans, made extensive tours covering 30 villages. Most of these were in the interior and could only be covered by walking. This took more than 2 years and she explained at length to each women artisan about the necessity of forming a co-operative society and the benefits it would bring.