Puri: The coronavirus outbreak and subsequent nationwide lockdown to tackle the situation have pushed the livelihood of palm leaf artisans in the city here.
The palm leaf artisans have been facing an unprecedented situation due to lack of marketing facilities for their products and temporary closure of Srimandir for the devotees to check the spread of coronavirus, sources said.
At least 25 palm leaf artisan families of Siddhamahaveer Chamar Sahi here earn a livelihood by crafting decorative pieces, toys and household goods. They sell their products to the locals and also participate in various fairs.
This apart, the artisans supply palm leaf baskets to Srimandir for the sale of Prasad to the devotees.
“My family has been crafting household goods and decorative pieces from palm leaves for last several decades. Earlier, we were preparing palm leaf made umbrellas, fans and mattresses. Now, we are focusing on the crafting of varieties of toys, decorative pieces and baskets to earn a livelihood,” said Tulu Behera, an artisan of Chamara Sahi.
Behera claimed that cyclonic storm Fani that made a landfall on Odisha coast May 3 last year had taken a heavy toll on the palm leaf craft. Hundreds of palm trees in Puri district were either uprooted or damaged by the summer storm. “There was a severe shortage of palm leaves in the aftermath of the cyclone. The situation improved gradually. But, this worldwide outbreak of coronavirus and subsequent lockdown have hit us hard,” Behera said.
Behera claimed that the artisans were unable to participate in a few fairs in the district and transport their products to anywhere due to the lockdown. Similarly, the temporary closure of Srimandir for the devotees has also added to the woes of palm leaf artisans, Behera said.
“Each artisan family of Chamara Sahi used to supply palm leaf made baskets worth Rs 500 to Srimandir every day. The temple has remained out of bounds for the devotees in the wake of coronavirus outbreak. Now, we have huge stock of palm leaf baskets. But, we are in financial distress as there is no taker for our products,” Behera rued.