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A new lease of life for weavers

Bhubaneswar: Recovering from a lean phase caused by lack of patronage, weavers have given a new lease of life to once dying exquisite ethnic fabrics at Dhalapathara, 60 km from here, after support from a special project came as a boon for them.

Looms had virtually fallen silent at the sleepy hamlet when weavers started looking for alternative sources of income as they were unable to market their products and meet changing requirements of the consumers in the absence of promotional measures, official sources said.

However, the bad patch for hundreds of weavers in the area, famous for exquisite handloom fabrics in varied designs, textures, colours and motifs, was over after a research development project was awarded by Centre’s Development Commissioner (Handlooms) to revive the dying ethnic textiles, they said. “As part of the project, selected weavers were imparted skill development and capacity building training. New designs and input materials were provided to trained weavers for production of a variety of items,” project director Pranati Das told PTI here.

“We initially conducted a survey of consumers’ needs and preferences and gathered the market feedback. Accordingly new modified designs were prepared on the basis of old traditional designs with qualified designers’ help,” she said. Looms were modernised and production picked up, while attention was also focussed on empowering women weavers to empower them economically, she said.

The project has transformed the life of weavers.

– PTI

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