Navratri Rekindles The Filigree Art

Pulse

oi-Suparna Chakaraborthy

By Suparna Chakaraborthy

Friday, November 12, 2010, 16:51

Navratri, the festival of Goddess Durga, has come as a boon to filigree artisans in Orissa. Filigree is an art of twisting and turning gold and silver threads into three-dimensional jewellery and popular in creating religious motifs. The art is used to make crows, ornaments and accessories of the deities. The art of Filigree, was on the verge of extinction. This Navratri however, seems to have rekindled the business of the Filigree art in Orissa.

The organisers of the Navratri festival decided that this year they will use the traditional ways to dress the stage for deities, "Earlier we used to make the backdrop with zari or, brocade. We saw that every year we have to spend Rs.20, 000, an amount which used to get wasted. We discussed the issue with our committee members and decided to have a permanent backdrop this Navratri. The filigree artisans, at that time did not have work for their survival. So, we thought of giving them the work, as at the same time they would be able to earn their livelihood," said Rajkishore Nayak, Secretary of Sekh Bazaar festival committee.

This decision has made emense employment opportunity for Filigree artisans. Each pandal has employed around 900 artisans to finish the work. They are so over loaded with orders that it's being difficult to finish the work on deadline. "Now they have got sufficient work, for earlier they were sitting jobless. Now, they have got sufficient work, even they cannot give the work, demand is so high," said Suryakant Singhania, president of the festival committee at Balubazar in eastern Orissa state.

Keshab Behera, an artisian has confirmed that, "This backdrop is made in a month by using almost 4.5 quintals of silver. We have made a gold crown each out of 7.5 kg of gold for Goddess Durga, Lord Ganesh, Goddess Saraswati and Lord Kartik."

Owing to lack of government support, non-existence of cooperatives, poor entrepreneurship, professional rivalries and invasion of machine-finished products in markets, the silversmiths or the filigree artisans of Cuttack were at a crossroad of socio-economic degeneration. However, festivals like Navratri are surely bringing a smile on their faces.