Bhubaneswar: During the recent cyclone, many artisans were affected and several artworks were destroyed. This comes as a big loss to the state. Some destroyed artworks from previous generations are around 70-80 years old, and cannot be reproduced except by expert conservators who can preserve the fragments of the artworks left.
To support the affected artisans of the state, an Artisan Support Project- Post Cyclone Outreach Workshop has been started by Kala Aur Katha Trust. This project is an endeavour to support artisans living in rural and urban areas affected by cyclone Fani in Odisha, through establishment of a resource centre for artisans.
Pankaja Sethi, an acclaimed fashion designer of the state who had showcased her work at big fashion shows such as Lakme Fashion Week and founder of Kala Aur Katha, said: “This project aims to build an Artisan Support Project for artisans of Puri and Khurda in Odisha affected by the cyclone Fani May 3, 2019. Currently artisans are in a state of distress because of collateral damage and loss of precious art work.
“This project aims to create a dialogue with artisans through three programmes such as Workshop to create narrative textile scrolls that will interpret contemporary stories of people from the village; workshop to empower women in circular economy by using renewable organic material into stationeries and accessories to generate sustainable livelihood income for home based women and workshops to create a range of contemporary products for the corporate market, by using their traditional knowledge and skill.
“This support structure is an endeavour to stimulate and inspire the local artisans living in rural and urban spaces to establish a resource centre for artisans. Thus we are pledging donations to carry out the project in action.”
Pankaja said, “We have been working on developing a support structure for artisans affected by Fani. Our team members visited Chandanpur, Raghurajpur, Sakhigopal, Birabhrapur, Badurasai and Biripadia to document and understand the plight of artisans in Puri district.
“We also have decided to start a series of workshop to support artisans in distress and support them through sustainable livelihood linkage. Our first project with pattachitra artisans got partly funded by Centre for Youth and Social Development (CYSD), Bhubaneswar. We are also talking with several organisations and companies and people for funding the project.”
