Tag Archives: Bargarh News

Iswar Meher, a perfectionist of Sambalpuri Handloom

May 24, 2018   News

It took him three months to design and weave a Sambalpuri saree which he named ‘Brukshya Debata’ utilising natural colours. The intricately designed saree speaks about the importance of trees in maintaining ecological balance.

Apart from the design of different varieties of trees, Lord Brahma, Lord Bishnu and Lord Shiva have been portrayed meditating under the trees of banyan, peepal and rudrakshya respectively on the saree. And the saree with natural colours of black and brown has fetched him `1.2 lakh. The saree has been weaved by 53-year-old master craftsman Iswar Meher of Katapali village, 8 km from Bargarh town. He is known for his craftsmanship of Sambalpuri saree and registered as a master weaver under Sambalpuri Bastralaya Handloom Cooperative Society Limited.

Iswar is a perfectionist in Bandha Kala (tie and dye), which is core to Sambalpuri handloom products. This has helped him carve a niche in designing and weaving sarees and dress materials. Having dropped out after Class-III, Iswar learnt the nuances of weaving at an early age from his paternal uncle Kunja Bihari Meher and started weaving independently at the age of 12. He has created a number of designs using both traditional and theme-based motifs and recreated them successfully on yarn.

“I have produced more than 2,500 saree designs in Sambalpuri Ikat besides many designs for dress materials. Of the 2,500 saree designs, around 300 are intricately designed,” he says.“I have designed many sarees based on different plants and trees. ‘Brukshya Debata’ based on trees is one of my best creations,” he says. The price of sarees woven by Iswar ranges from Rs 10,000 to Rs 1.2 lakh.

Iswar won the national award instituted by Ministry of Textiles in 2006 for his craftsmanship in making ‘Bahana Cotton Saree’. The design of the saree is based on different ‘Bahana’ (animal vehicle) of Hindu God and Goddesses.

Prior to this, he had received the ‘Best Weaver of the Year-2005’ by Sambalpuri Bastralaya.
Iswar has also provided guidance to 1,040 semi-skilled weavers and honed their weaving skills to help them economically. At present, he is busy creating another masterpiece saree ‘Subhra Bastra’, which is based on sloka pertaining to Goddess Saraswati, to enable him to apply for the prestigious Sant Kabir award.

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Women hit streets for drinking water in Bargarh

April 12, 2018   News

Carrying buckets and containers, hundreds of women in Bargarh Municipality and block areas took out a ‘Pani Padayatra’ demanding clean and safe drinking water on Monday. Displaying samples of unclean water, the women demanded that all water bodies in the area should be restored and revived to maintain the groundwater level. Besides, an anicut should be constructed across Jeera river, they said. The town is reeling under acute water scarcity as piped water is yet to reach all the places. The women folk depend on a few functioning tube-wells in the area.

The agitating women said residents of Ward 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the Municipality are completely dependent on a pit dug on the bed of Jeera river which flows along Bargarh town. Gulapi Suna of Ward 11 said the water from tube-wells in the area is unfit for human consumption and is reddish in colour. Similarly, residents of Ward 5 and 6 claimed that they are being forced to dig tube-wells for drinking water. The district administration should take immediate steps to provide drinking water to the residents soon. If the demand is not met, they will intensify their stir, the women threatened.

It is noted that, last month in speech, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan asked Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to provide safe water and take steps for mitigating the problem of contaminated water faced by residents of Bargarh and adjoining areas.

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Union Minister asked CM to provide safe water in Bargarh

March 8, 2018   News

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan asked Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to provide safe water and take steps for mitigating the problem of contaminated water faced by residents of Bargarh and adjoining areas. A letter to CM Naveen Patnaik wrote by Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

Pradhan said with no access to piped water, people are forced to use water from the dug wells for drinking and other purposes. Pradhan requested Naveen to make necessary allocation in the State budget accordingly towards provision of safe water to the residents of the area. He said the matter may also be taken up with the World Bank for a loan agreement to help increase access to water supply service in Bargarh areas.

 

“I urge you to look into the matter for a favourable consideration of the above request in order to mitigate the problem of contaminated water and benefitting people by directly providing safe water,”  Pradhan said.

 

 

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Minor bureaucratic reshuffle in Odisha after Bijepur by-poll

March 2, 2018   News

Odisha government on Thursday effected a minor bureaucratic reshuffle in the State administration, a day after result of Bijepur by-poll was declared.

According to an official notification issued by the General Administration Department, Yamini Sarangi, who was appointed as Bargarh Collector just two weeks ahead of the election, was send back to her previous place of posting as the district collector of Jagatsinghpur.

Senior OAS officer Indramani Tripathy, who presently holds the office of the Additional Secretary of School & Mass Education Department, has been posted as Collector of Baragarh, while Khagendra Kumar Padhi, who was the former Bargarh Collector, has been appointed as the Additional Secretary of School & Mass Education Department in the State Government, the notification added.

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Holi arrives early for BJD in Bijepur

March 1, 2018   News

Holi celebration began early for BJD in the district after the landslide victory of party candidate Ritarani Sahu in Bijepur by-poll on Wednesday. BJD supporters went on a celebration-mode smearing colored powder, locally called ‘Phagu’, on each other besides distributing sweets among them. They also danced to the tune of ‘dulduli’, a traditional music of western Odisha amid fireworks.

Similar celebration broke out in Barpali NAC and block, Bijepur and Gaisilet blocks, Padampur and other areas of the district. BJD candidate Sahu along with Rajya Sabha Member Prasanna Acharya, Handlooms and Textiles Minister Snehangini Chhuria, Bargarh MP Prabhas Singh and MLA Debesh Acharya congregated in front of Anchal College at Padampur, where counting of votes was held, to celebrate the victory with BJD workers.

Thanking the voters and BJD workers, Sahu and Acharya said this win of BJD was against ‘goonda raj’ and false campaign. The by-poll result is the answer of people against bullet through ballot, Acharya said. The win was also a victory of ‘Vikash’ (development) and the result will determine the course and future of Odisha politics, he said.

An elated Sahu said she won the by-election due to the clean image of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and popularity of her late husband Subal Sahu. Thanking the voters of Bijepur Assembly segment for their support, Sahu said development work will continue in the area.On the other hand, while BJD celebrated the victory in different parts of the district, party workers of Chichinda village were grief-stricken.

On February 24, Dileswar Sahu of Chichinda died at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack after being attacked during pre-poll violence.Dileswar was with Subrat Singh, the brother of Labour Minister Susant Singh, when miscreants attacked them at Banabira within Sohela police limits.

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