Bhubaneswar: To celebrate the outstanding performance of both the Indian hockey teams, the artisans and weavers of Odisha produced custom handicraft and handloom products that were given to the players during the felicitation ceremony held earlier this evening.
As India rejoiced the performance of both the teams in the first week of August, the artisans and weavers of the state took it upon themselves to give back to the Olympians via- Silver Filigree Olympic Rings and Tricolour Ikat stoles with custom motifs.
The artisans of Cuttack crafted Olympic Rings in the iconic Silver Filigree craft that has been practiced in the city for centuries. Locally known as Tarakasi, it is the ancient art of crafting jewellery with fine metal wires. Cuttack in Odisha is today the centre for the finest filigree work in India and is soon to have a GI tag for the craft.
The weavers of Western Odisha weaved stoles in Cotton and Mulberry Silk using the colours of the Indian flag interspersed with Olympic rings and Hockey Sticks in blue. The stoles are made using the centuries old technique of Ikat, (literally meaning ‘to tie’), that is a recognised GI of Odisha.
The artisans and weavers worked multiple shifts to complete the pieces in time for the ceremony on17th of August’2021. The custom pieces are designed by Kala Bhoomi- Odisha Crafts Museum under the guidance of The State Institute for Development of Arts & Crafts (SIDAC), the first Centre of Excellence for Handicrafts in the country. The pieces are part of a limited collection produced for the teams by Sambalpuri Bastralaya and Utkalika respectively. All four organizations fall under Handloom, Textiles and Handicrafts Department of Govt. of Odisha.
The weavers and artisans across the state hope that that the pieces will remind the players of Odisha and the success at Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 for years to come!
Ms Kalinga