SAMBALPUR: True as they say, ‘What is now proved was once only imagined’. This epitomises Sumitra Mahakur who with a mind brimming with creativity, tapped into the craze around Sambalpuri handloom to make use of it in ways other than just as clothing.
With sheer love for the world-famous fabric along with a touch of her creative imagination, the 26-year-old made an effort to promote the textile further. In a humble initiative, Sumitra began making Sambalpuri rakhis in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic period.
Little did she know that her initiative would soon turn into a thriving seasonal business, bringing profit not just for her but also in supporting the livelihood of women who are now associated with and trained under her. Currently, her rakhis are being sold across five districts of Odisha besides six other states in the country.
A resident of Bhupada area in Sambalpur city, Sumitra learnt tailoring back in 2014. A few years after her graduation in 2019, she got involved full-time in designing and stitching Sambalpuri dresses for her income. However, when Covid pandemic hit in 2020, Sumitra turned to manufacturing Sambalpuri masks considering its demand during that time, and was surprised to see how fast they got sold.
“I always look for ways through which our handloom can be promoted widely. As masks had become compulsory during COVID-19, I thought of giving it a try and could not believe how fast the idea clicked. I earned a profit of around Rs 70,000 to Rs 80,000 in a few months just through masks,” said Sumitra.
Eventually, when Raksha Bandhan came along, Sumitra, foreseeing the potential of handloom rakhis for the festival, began recycling bits and pieces of the fabric along with some beads and laces and started making rakhis out of them. She made around 500 rakhis priced at Rs 10 each and put them up for sale on social media. And like she had anticipated, the rakhis were sold in no time.
In 2021, Sumitra made a batch of around 1,500 rakhis along with the help of her family members. The same year, a city-based self-help group (SHG) tagged with ORMAS approached her with a proposal to resell her rakhis.
Looking at her work, ORMAS even offered Sumitra to train an SHG in making rakhis. Subsequently, she decided to expand her production and engaged six staff to help her in manufacturing. For this year’s Raksha Bandhan, she has already manufactured 2,800 rakhis and is currently engaged in completing another bulk order of 3,000 rakhis. The prices of her rakhis have shot up to Rs 20 to Rs 70 per piece.
“I am happy that my business is contributing to the promotion of our local craft and weavers. Many local retailers have placed their orders with me this year. This apart, I am getting orders from Bargarh, Sonepur, Balangir, Rourkela, Sundargarh and Jharsuguda in Odisha besides Bangalore, Kolkata, Mumbai, Raipur, Bilaspur, Jamshedpur and Gujarat just by advertising on social media,” said an ecstatic Sumitra.
She further went on to thank her family and co-workers for helping her complete the orders in time. “I wish these Sambalpuri rakhis reach the global market in the coming years,” she hoped.