BARGARH: HER craftsmanship is unparalleled when it comes to handlooms of Sambalpur. Sukanti Meher (43) of Barpali has not just kept the handloom tradition alive but is also breathing a new lease of life into it through her innovative designs in Bandha Kala (tie and dye or Sambalpuri Ikat) technique.
An award-winning weaver, Sukanti’s creations include an interesting array of Ikat sarees that incorporate modern designs along with traditional motifs like Shankha (shell), Chakra (wheel), Phula (flower), all of which have deep symbolism in Odia culture.
Displaying a saree signifying the board game of Pasha (game of gambling) intricately woven in red and white silk threads, she says modernisation of the designs has become need of the hour for the handloom tradition to survive. “My designs are mostly inspired by mythology but I add modern elements like geometric patterns to them suitable for today’s market. Some of them include peacock feather, ‘Gajagamini’, ‘Sudarsani’, ‘Bhanupriya’, Sujata, Rajeshwari, Padmalaya and Kabita,” says Sukanti, who is also a master trainer and has trained more than 300 girls so far in tie and dye.
Her designs are not just limited to sarees. She also weaves dress materials, wall hangings and table cloths. In fact, a Sambalpur table cloth that she designed on the theme of Odia marriage got her the National Award (Sant Kabir Award for Master Craftspersons and Weavers) instituted by Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, in 2011. On the four sides of the black table cloth, she wove the wedding procession of a bridegroom with the bride seated inside a palanquin and at the centre, Sukanti drew the celebrations and rituals related to an Odia wedding in red threads. “I usually use dark colours as base as the intricate designs stand out on them,” says the Ikat weaver, who recently participated in Sisir Saras exhibition in Bhubaneswar that was organised by Odisha Rural Development And Marketing Society (ORMAS).
In another table cloth, she weaves the stories of Lord Krishna and Arjuna from Mahabharata. She, however, had not known weaving or tie and dye technique till she met her husband, Makardhwaj Meher (50), who is also a master weaver of Barpali. “Everyone in my in-laws family were into Bandha Kala and I was drawn into the craft while seeing them weaving,” says Sukanti. She learnt the technique from Makardhwaj for 13 years till she started weaving independently in 2006.
Makardhwaj, on the other hand, had learnt the nuances of Bandha Kala from his father, late Gopa Meher, and had started weaving independently when he was 17 years old. Today, the couple has to their credit more than 1,000 saree designs in Sambalpuri Ikat besides, many designs for dress materials and wall hangings. The couple jointly won the State Award in 2010-11, instituted by the Textiles and Handloom Department of Odisha, for a silk Ikat saree, ‘Gajagamini’.
Three years after Sukanti won the National Award, Makardhwaj followed suit and won the award in 2014 for weaving a wall hanging ‘Goutam Buddha’, which shows Buddha sitting in meditation pose. “We have engaged 30 weavers for mass production of tie and dye handloom products,” says Makardhwaj.