Berhampur: Though modern lifestyle has stripped many of their old vocations, scores of people in Sunathara village under Purushottampur block of Ganjam district are still sticking to their age-old calling of weaving ‘Mana’.
‘Mana’ is a container made from the roots of cane and kewda plants to measure paddy and the item is a must for housewives during Manabasa when Goddess Laxmi, the presiding deity of wealth, is worshipped in every Oriya household. At least five types of ‘Manas’ are required to complete the traditional festival. About 40 men continue to visit the Silk City every year at the end of Kartik (mid-November) month to hawk ‘Mana’s in every nook and corner of Ganjam and Gajapati districts. They sell about 50,000 pieces of ‘Manas’ in a year and charge `300 each, Narayan Malik, a weaver, said.
Though the demand for this item has come down drastically as people prefer ‘Mana’ made from brass, they still begin preparation for this occasion at least one month advance. At the end of December, weavers collect the roots and process them under the sun in summer. Later, the whole family gets engaged in making these items. They set out to sell them at the end of Kartik.
Earlier, they used to sell `150 a piece which has doubled due to acute shortage of raw material. These days, it becomes difficult to get the roots of cane and kewda leading to a cost rise, said Tukuna Malik.
However, their business has been affected due to flooding of brass-made ‘Manas’ in the market. With the demand for the item is on decline, their profit has come down. They don’t get the right return if the amount of time they spend on its preparation is taken into consideration, Uday Malik, another weaver, said.
Though they find it difficult to maintain their families with this seasonal business, emotional that bonding they have with the trade has kept them in the profession. The families have been in the business for over a century, they said.
Many weavers have to work as daily labourers to support their families, it was learnt. PNN