Rayagada: Coronavirus pandemic has not left any sector unaffected and so is the case with ethnic ‘Kapdaganda’ shawl business of the Dongria Kondh tribes residing in Niyamgiri hills of Rayagada district.
That said, masks being made mandatory to check coronavirus spread, it has proved to be a light at the end of the tunnel for them.
With excellent expertise, women, particularly unmarried ones, of the community generally embroider shawls sitting in groups or individually on their verandahs. Their shawls depict their rich heritage, culture and lifestyle. They were initially embroidered for personal use. The unmarried women give these shawls to their near and dear ones. As things stand, these shawls are in-fashion in the international market.
At a time when the lockdown had snatched away their shawl business and they had been sitting idle, Dongria Kondh Development Agency (DKDA) came up with the idea to embroider masks, instead of shawls.
The government made available all the required raw materials to them. Like shawls, their masks have been selling like hot cakes in the markets, improving their financial condition which had been in a slump for the last two to three months.
About 40 women in villages such as Khambeshi, Khajuri, Kurli and Hundijali of Kurli panchayat under Bisamkatak are embroidering the masks, keeping their ethnic touch intact.
The women members of self-help groups (SHGs) manufacture the masks. Thereafter the Dongria women embroider the traditional designs on them. In turn, DKDA pays them Rs 50 per mask.
A Domgria woman, Shukri Kadraka said, “The disease had already snatched away our source of earning. But at the same time, the same disease has provided another source of earning. It is by embroidering masks. We feel happy for our masks that help people keep the virus at bay.”
“DKDA is providing us with clothes, needles, and thread for embroidery. While a mask costs Rs 95, it fetches Rs 100. We have so far manufactured 750 masks from May 21 till now. We have more orders in our hands,” she added.
Tribal Development Cooperative Corporation (TDCC) in Bhubaneswar buys these masks from DKDA office at Bisamkatak. In coming days, these masks will be exported to national and international markets, it is learnt.
When contacted, DKDA, project administrator, Sudarshan Padhi said, we launched the project following the direction of the state government. “This project helps not just providing a source of earning during the trying times of COVID-19 but also taking their ethnic art form to places far and wide,” maintained Padhi.
PNN