The handloom Ikat weavers of Nuapatna here, who are in the business for generations now, are suffering due to lack of proper marketing and the Government's apathy for not doing anything. As a result, the artisans are losing interest in the traditional profession.
Our correspondent met national and State awardee master weavers like Sarat Kumar Patra, Sahadev Patra and Yasodhara Patra who are in the profession for over three decades to know the development of their business. Sarat Kumar Patra was awarded national prize in 1993 for weaving the portrait of Dashavatar depicted in poet Jayadev's Geetagovinda and Sant Kabir award in 2015 from the Prime Minister for weaving Gautam Buddha's life sketch which have been displayed in the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts, New Delhi and Calico Museum,
Ahmadabad. He has also been awarded by the State Government and other organisations for his outstanding contribution to this unique art.
His masterpiece is weaving on the Ikat technique and designing on poet Jayadev's Sampoorna Geetagovinda on a cloth of 52 meter long and 36 inch wide where 900 lines (12 sargas) are there, which took at least seven years to complete. This apart, he has woven the slokas and pictures depicted on the literatures of Upendra Bhanja, Gangadhar Meher, Ganesha Vandana and Jagannath Bhajan, etc. He introduced human motifs and their postures together with calligraphy in Ikat technique. He worked on revival of natural dyes and developed 50 shades. He also guides the weavers who work for the development of the technique.
His brother Sahadev Patra also works in this field and is a national awardee. He worked the designs of Kamasutra on a saree. Similarly, Yasodhara Patra for her Ikat work on a saree on laxmipuja (Manabasa Gurubar) was awarded at the State level.
The Patra family, however, lamented that the State Government does not show adequate inclination to retain the art.
As it is their traditional occupation, they are trying their level best to sustain it at least for their period. As there is little profit in the business, the new generation artists are declining to go for it. Marketing of the products is another major challenge before the artisans. This apart, funds crunch also hits their business.”
They maintained that a few artisans committed suicide after they failed to repay their loans they took from the local mahajans. The Government’s assistance for the weavers and their family members is not satisfactory, said Sahadev Patra.
Assistant Director of Textile at Athagarh Sisir Kumar Nag said that under his jurisdiction 64 weavers’ cooperative societies are operating with more than 6,500 weavers enrolled for getting various benefits like insurance etc. “Solar lanterns have been given to most of the weavers. Provision for funding for work shade is on process.
Raw materials are also provided to the weavers in subsidised rate through Raw Material Banks opened at Nuapatna, Maniabandha, Gambilo, Tulasipur, etc.,” Nag informed, adding that a proposal for opening handloom stalls in the newly constructed Tourist Bazaars at Jatamundia near the Subarnapur bridge has been given to the Government.