Soro: Even as thousands of educated youths remain jobless and lead frustrated lives, Sarojini Das (35) of Soro municipality area in Balasore has wrought a success story with handicraft.
Bamboo craft has made Sarojini self-reliant and she has set an example for others in the area. Daughter of Sashiprabha Das and late Debendra Das of Tundapada, Sarojini had been striving for livelihood opportunity after completing Plus-II in 1993.
She received training in tailoring, but was not happy. Then she went to Bhubaneswar and got training in handicraft. She received two years of training in bamboo craft and later got six months’ advance course in Agartala.
Returning to her village, she started her own work and churned out a variety of decorative and household items out of bamboo. These items had good demand and found many takers..
She encouraged other girls and women of the village to learn the art of bamboo craft. They have become self reliant too. She first set up an institute named after her mother Sashiprabha Handicraft at Soro. The institute was later shifted to Jamujhadi.
Handicraft items like flower vases, images of animals, birds, natural scenery, peacocks, table lamps, ships, yachts, jewelry, bangles, ear rings, neck laces and attractive decorative items are sold at exhibitions in the state and other parts of the country.
She has been selling bamboo craft at Cuttack Baliyatra, Janata Maidan, Pragati Maidan in New Delhi and in various parts of Madhya Pradesh and Chhatishgarh.
She has been honoured by various handicraft institutes and has received State Designers’ Award from the state government for her skills. She has been managing her family with a decent income. PNN
