JAGATSINGHPUR: For 59-year-old Prafulla Kumar Sahoo of Dodunda Singipur village under Jagatsinghpur block, weaving is more than a traditional occupation. It has become a mission to preserve Jagatsinghpur district’s distinctive single-count Patta design, while helping rural women and unemployed youngsters become financially independent.
With nearly 45 years of experience in handloom weaving, Sahoo has emerged as a custodian of the traditional craft, training hundreds of rural women and young people in basic weaving and jalla dobby techniques. His efforts have helped many women turn a skill once confined to traditional weaving families into a source of livelihood.
His contribution to the handloom sector was recognised with the National Award presented by President Droupadi Murmu in August 2026, and the Tantakruti Award conferred by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi last year.
An expert in weaving 80s single-count cotton sarees and Lio silk shirting, Sahoo specialises in intricate designs that require “patience, precision and years of practice”. His work comes at a time when traditional handloom weaving is struggling to compete with machine-made textiles and changing consumer preferences.
Sahoo says, “Traditional weaving is a part of our cultural identity. Powerloom products have affected the earnings of handloom weavers. We must train younger generations and create better market opportunities to keep this craft alive.”
Sahoo is a member of the Netaji Weavers Cooperative Society Ltd at Dodunda Singipur. The cooperative supplies raw materials to weavers and procures their finished sarees and shirting, paying them labour charges. The products are supplied to State Agency for Development of Handloom Clusters, Boyanika and Sambalpuri Bastralaya.
He said the arrangement enables artisans to earn without investing their own money in yarn and other raw materials. Sahoo earns around Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000 a month through weaving. He also earns about Rs 20,000 by providing training to rural women and youngsters, adding another source of income to his traditional occupation.
Sahoo says the impact of his work extends beyond his own earnings. Nearly 300 weavers are associated with the handloom tradition in villages such as Sidhal, Dodunda Singipur, and Jaitota and nearby areas. Recognising the need to pass on their skills, Sahoo has taken up training programmes to encourage more women and young people to enter the profession.
His initiative has also reached districts beyond Jagatsinghpur, including Boudh, Nabarangpur, Koraput, Gunupur, Athagarh, Dhenkanal and Kendrapara. His six-month programmes provide practical training in basic weaving and jalla dobby, enabling more than 200 unemployed women and youths to learn the techniques required to produce sarees and shirting in different designs.
The traditional single-count Patta design, locally known as Chiadifoda, involves creating intricate motifs by inserting extra weft threads individually by hand. Fine cotton yarn is strengthened with rice starch before being wound, warped and prepared for the loom. During weaving, thin wooden sticks are used to lift selected warp threads, allowing artisans to create precise motifs.
The sarees feature temple borders, geometric patterns and traditional motifs. The use of 80s single-count cotton yarn makes the fabric lightweight, smooth and breathable. Sahoo has also developed a colour-dobby border incorporating a traditional fish motif, blending design innovation with the authenticity of handloom weaving.
A specially crafted 80s single-count colour-dobby border Patta saree measures 6.20 metre, including the blouse piece, and 1.22 metre in width. It takes around 30 days, including preparatory work, to complete and is priced at Rs 12,599.
For his trainees, however, the value of weaving goes beyond preserving a traditional design.
Rupashree Behera of Odisso village, who belongs to a weaving family, says she had little practical knowledge of the craft before joining Sahoo’s training programme. The training helped her learn to weave sarees and shirting in different designs, enabling her to earn between Rs 10,000 and Rs 12,000 a month. “Several women in my village have also taken up weaving and become self-reliant,” she says.
Another trainee from a farming community, who was struggling to support her household because of unemployment, found a new source of income through the programme. She now earns around Rs 10,000 a month by producing sarees and shirting.
For Sahoo, these stories of self-reliance offer hope for a craft threatened by declining interest and mechanised production. He believes sustained training, exhibitions, public awareness and stronger market linkages are essential to improve artisans’ earnings and attract younger generations.
“Preserving Jagatsinghpur’s single-count Patta design is about more than saving an age-old weaving technique. It is about protecting the cultural identity of generations of artisans while ensuring that traditional knowledge remains a viable source of livelihood,” he says.
Through his loom and training programmes, Sahoo is striving to weave together two goals: keeping Jagatsinghpur’s handloom heritage alive, and creating a future of economic independence for rural women and youngsters.