manish kumar, post news network, Bhubaneswar, May 11: Vikash Kumar, a 3rd year student from the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) visited Udla weavers’ village last year. The visit was part of his study tour to get acquainted with the traditional process of weaving practised by the village craftsmen. Vikash is still overwhelmed by the ‘firsthand’ experience he had on the art of transforming raw silk fabrics to ‘wearable’ dress materials.
“I visited the village in 2014 as a part of our college’s initiative to venture into some of the art and crafts village clusters in the state to gather in-depth knowledge of the weaving work done at the village level by the traditional craftsmen. It really gave a deep insight into and exposure to the work and made us understand our industry better,” says Vikash.
He went on to add, “The weavers took us through the arduous process of weaving undertaken by them and we, in turn, gave them some of our suggestions on how to inculcate some modern elements into their work to make it more effective and market friendly.”
Like Vikash, there are many other students from the college who had also visited several heritage sites strewn across the state in order to know the different art forms in detail so that the aspiring designers can give new dimension to the existing process. According to the officials from the college, a two-week visit to an art and craft village cluster, as part of their curriculum, is a must for the budding designers. The next visit to an art and craft village cluster is scheduled during the last week of May. Many junior students are now enthusiastic about their upcoming visit.
“I am really excited and looking forward to the visit to a village cluster during the next tour. As a part of our studies, we have to visit a centre of art to know more about the subject. Many of my seniors have already gone to some destinations and have garnered ample in-depth knowledge. I am also eager to see firsthand how the weavers of the village really work and I want to learn from them,” Aman Kumar, a 2nd year student from the college said.
The institution has, till date, organised visits to heritage sites in states such as Sambalpur, Nuapatna, Kantilo, Raghurajpur among others. The administration, meanwhile, is toiling hard to bridge the gap between the budding designers and traditional craftsmen from the state.
“Orissa is rich in resources. It is home to many specialised designs such as ikat, tie and dye, metal works and others. But the need of the hour is to make the traditional products more acceptable and presentable in the modern society. The students here are trying their best to introduce modern elements into the traditional products to make those more potent, so that the appeal of those to the modern-day customers increases,” says K C S Ray, director, NIFT-Bhubaneswar.
The students after their visits to the craft village clusters file their detailed report in the form of dissertations, covering all the aspects, such as the potential of the traditional products, challenges faced by those, procedures that need upgradation and technological interventions required to solve the problems in the existing practices in these clusters. However, the students say they never see these visits as a burden, as these lend a different learning aspect to their study.
