Bhubaneswar: ‘Weavers not only weave cloth, they sing songs of heritage in confluence of yarn, color and weave, offer devotional offerings at the feet of the Lord, and also celebrate immortality of our rich culture. For a weaver, clothes are not just a garment, they are a living joy of pure meditation.’
Such were the views expressed in a workshop on ‘Developed Odisha and Handloom Industries’ organized by ‘Shraddha’, a voluntary organization that continuously strives for the income increase of weavers and overall development, in Nuapatna village of Cuttack district. On this occasion, the ‘Shraddha’ organization felicitated the renowned weaver Sarat Kumar Patra, who has been selected for the prestigious Padma Shri Award for his contribution to literature, culture and values in the field of weaving, with a certificate, bouquet and a token cash prize of Rs 1 lakh.
Chief guest Anang Patnaik, former Supreme Court Justice, praised both Shraddha’s unique efforts and the excellence of Sarat Patra’s weaving skills. He emphasized on finding new customers and new markets through weaving to fulfill the dream of a developed Odisha and providing flawless products as per their preferences, and for this, he insisted that it is relevant to open a weaving training school by the government.
Guest of honour Vivekananda Patnaik, former Chairman of Odisha Public Service Commission, gave a thoughtful opinion on the contribution of weavers to the economy, their past contribution, present efforts and future plans.
Shraddha Chairman Dr. Sanjay Kumar Panda gave information about how the income of weavers has increased by at least one and a half times and consumer-friendly products have been made through the continuous efforts of the organization and showed everyone the fabric on display showing how skin-friendly fabrics can be made from bamboo fiber.
Secretary Bansidhar Mohapatra read out the report, while Dr. Sudarshan Behera reviewed the proceedings and Treasurer Shivani Mohapatra proposed the vote of thanks.
In this special gathering anchored by Padmanava Panda, senior weavers Ram Das, Hari Katual, women weavers Shanti Lata Patra, young weavers Surendra Kumar Das, Ajay Katual and President of Nuapatna Primary Textile Cooperative Society Bikas Patra were felicitated by the chief guest for their achievements .
Weavers Vikas Das, Bharati, Purna Chandra Katual, Taapoi Nandi, Batakrishna Behera, Vijay Kumar Nandi, Vikash Kumar Deputy Director of Weavers Service Center, Bhubaneswar, , senior members of Shraddha Brahmananda Brahma, Bilita Satpathi, Dr. Basant Kar, Gurudas Brahma, Ashok Sahu, Binayak Swain and Subhransu Roy, Subhendu Tripathi participated in the main discussion. On this occasion a health camp was arranged by experienced doctors from Kalinga Hospital Bhubaneswar and NIHARD Cuttack.
