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Hand fans club grows bigger

Photo: Lingaraj Panda

Hooked: A woman checks the quality of a bamboo hand fan at a weekly haat in Berhampur on Saturday. --

BERHAMPUR: Thanks to the erratic power supply during summer, the traditional hand fans made up of bamboo and palm leaves are still in demand in the city markets.

People still search for hand fans at the weekly ‘haat’ of ‘Mediri’ community in the city near the Biju Patnaik Park. Preparing different household and decorative items by weaving bamboo is the traditional profession of Mediri community.

R. Tulasi, who sets up her shop at the ‘haat’ every week, said the sale of hand fans has surely gone down yet no one could forget them as the necessity of hand fans is largely felt during power cuts, which are too frequent during the summer. But more than the artistry over the fans, they are now regarded as just a necessity, she added.

Similarly, though the demand for fans made of palm leaves has come down, the palm leaf hand fans might never be out of scene. Reason being, the ‘Alakh Sanyasis’ of Orissa always carry a large palm leaf hand fan with them, following an age-old tradition.

Hand fans, both fixed and revolving type made up of palm leaves and bamboo strips still have a market in Orissa although they might never make it to the air-conditioned mega shops.

The tropical climate and frequent power outage had helped in the survival of the craft of making hand fans to some extent, as it is still a part of the household articles in the middle class and the poor. However, the decorative artistry related to hand fans has been forgotten long ago. Earlier housewives used to decorate the hand fans in the house with beads, silk pieces and other decorative items, said Sobha Patnaik, an elderly housewife. If no encouragement is given to the tradition of making decorative hand fans, the day will soon come when the decorative fans remain as just a part of the museum.

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