BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha Khadi and Village Industries Board (OKVIB) and National institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Bhubaneswar have joined hands to embark on a novel venture for resurrecting the dying traditional arts and crafts of the State.
The Fashion and Lifestyle Accessories Department of NIFT, Bhubaneswar in association with the Khadi Board will draw a comprehensive roadmap not only for revival of the craftsmanship but turn them into successful enterprises through modern design development and provisioning of market linkages.
Four teams comprising a total of around 26 students will camp in traditional artisan villages to study their craft and develop designs to suit the contemporary tastes and market demands. The first of the study visits was flagged off by Advisor, State Planning Board, R N Mohapatra, Khandapada MLA Anubhab Pattnaik and MSME Secretary Panchanan Dash on Monday.
The four teams would camp at Khairapadar in Kalahandi district which is famous for its wooden elephants and walking sticks, Belaguntha Ganjam, famous for its brass fish and prawn designs, Kalisahi and Kanitilo of Nayagarh which are known for the brass and bell metal items and artifacts respectively.
“The exercise aims at developing individual traditional artisan cluster plan for all the four places. A detailed project report will be prepared by NIFT and OKVIB and submitted to the State Government and Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) for funding. Besides, each student has been given a task of developing at least two designs based on the traditional craft which will result in 52 types of designs,” OKVIB president Tejeswar Parida said.
The initiative is all set to expand its footprint with the Fashion Designing department of NIFT undertaking similar exercise in the textile manufacturing regions.
Four teams would set off to Gopalpur in Jajpur district and Anandpur in Keonjhar district, which specialise in Tussar work along with Maniabandha and Nuapatna, which are famous for their silk textiles and weaves, Parida said.