India On Sambalpuri Saree: Odisha Weavers Give An Artistic Twist To Nationalism

Sonepur: While the traditional handwoven Sambalpuri saree of Odisha is already famous and appreciated the world over for its unique designs and colour, two weavers of Sonepur district have added a new texture to it by weaving the India map with exquisite colour.

Talking about the new design, Ishwar Meher and his nephew Dolamani Meher of Sahala village in Dunguripalli block said while weaving Sambalpur sarees is their profession, they have a passion to work around new designs.

“It took us about 30 days to weave four sarees and put up the maps of India, all states and Union Territories using 30 bundles of cotton of different colours. Apart from these maps, we have also knitted popular slogans like ‘I love my India’ and ‘Jai Jawan Jai Kishan’ on them to evoke a sense of nationalism among the people,” Ishwar said.

Stating that each saree has been priced around Rs 12,000-Rs 15,000, he said the new design is theirs. “We developed the design on our own after a series of trials and errors,” he pointed out.

Expressing their intent to generate more demands for Sambalpuri sarees in the international market, the uncle-nephew duo said they will be able to develop new and quality Sambalpuri sarees if the state government provides them with advanced training and technical support.