Bhubaneswar: The felicitation of Indian women’s and men’s hockey teams, here on Tuesday for their achievement in Tokyo Olympics had a distinct touch of the Odisha handicraft and handloom.
The players and officials of both teams, who made India proud for their performance in the Olympics, were presented mementos made by handicraft artisans of Cuttack and stoles by handloom weavers of western Odisha at the function where chief minister Naveen Patnaik felicitated them.
Both products were designed by Kala Bhoomi- Odisha Crafts Museum under the guidance of the State Institute for Development of Arts & Crafts (SIDAC). Sambalpuri Bastralaya and Utkalika produced those items.
The artisans of Cuttack prepared the wall pieces with Olympic rings made of silver filigree work for which the city is famous worldwide.
Similarly, the weavers of western Odisha produced stoles in cotton and mulberry silk using the three colours of the National Flag, Olympic rings and hockey sticks. The stoles were prepared with the age-old technique of Ikat (tie).
