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While extensive research has explored poverty in various dimensions, there remains a notable dearth of studies focusing on success stories of slum dwellers overcoming adversity. This research seeks to address this gap by investigating the strategies employed by individuals to transcend poverty. Moreover, it evaluates the practicality and effectiveness of existing theories in real-world contexts through careful interpretation.

Data were gathered from two distinct cases through comprehensive, in-depth interviews. These narratives were subjected to scrutiny employing the Description Analysis Interpretation method. Subsequent interpretation and theoretical exploration were guided by Bourdieu’s class theory. The overarching goal was to shed light on the remarkable journeys of specific slum residents who surpassed the constraints of poverty. This endeavor not only highlighted the practical efficacy of these theories but also underscored their relevance in illuminating real-world scenarios through interpretation.

The findings underscore the capacity of slum dwellers to rise above poverty, thereby emphasizing the practical utility of specific theories aimed at poverty alleviation in elucidating their experiences. Notably, social capital, a cornerstone of Bourdieu’s class theory, emerges as equally pivotal as economic capital in shaping individuals' trajectories.

The study’s scope is confined to narratives within the Colombo slums, offering a platform for future researchers to extend their investigations beyond this context. By employing alternative methodologies and exploring diverse geographical regions, scholars can broaden their understanding of poverty alleviation strategies and their applicability across varied socioeconomic landscapes. This calls for wider research for comprehensive exploration and comprehension of poverty dynamics beyond singular locales.

The study provides invaluable insights for policymakers, governmental bodies and nongovernmental organizations, urging them to reconsider and reformulate policies, educational strategies and community development programs tailored to the needs of slum dwellers and their children. These insights offer a pathway toward more effective interventions aimed at fostering sustainable upliftment within these marginalized communities.

This research fills a critical gap in poverty literature by exploring success stories of slum dwellers overcoming adversity, an area often overlooked. It uniquely investigates the strategies these individuals employ to transcend poverty, offering fresh insights into the practical application of poverty alleviation theories. Utilizing Bourdieu’s class theory, the study highlights the importance of both social and economic capital in these success narratives. By focusing on real-life experiences, it underscores the relevance and utility of these theories in real-world contexts, enriching the theoretical discourse and providing valuable perspectives for policymakers and practitioners.

Woven fabrics have been popularised in use owing to their superior properties and functionality. Today, weavers strive to add value to their product to be competitive and to secure profit in performance fabrics such as technical fabrics, smart fabrics and sportswear fabrics. Over the years, fabrics with special properties such as moisture management have gained higher demand. In this context, multi-layer fabrics provide a reasonable solution to the demand.

An attempt was made to develop two-layer fabrics with different compositions and properties. A two-layer woven fabric was produced using handloom weaving, with a hydrophobic inner layer and hydrophilic outer layer, the two layers being attached together using different stitching methods. Different fabric structures and yarn counts were used to achieve the objectives.

Experiments carried out verified the suitability of the developed fabric for effective moisture management. It was found that a fabric with a 100% cotton outer layer and 100% polyester inner layer, both layers of 2 × 2 matt weave, showed the best properties.

In the present COVID-19 pandemic situation, the use of masks in public has become mandatory in many countries. This research will help handloom manufacturers meet the need using simple methods.

This research uses handloom fabric. As such it provides an opportunity for small and medium enterprises to use available low-cost technology to develop fabric with superior properties.