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Attractive handiwork of needles and threads from 20 villages

Several thousand women busy ahead of Eid

EAM Asaduzzaman, Nilphamari
Several thousand women in around 20 remote villages under the district are now busy making artistic fancy works on women's dresses like saris, scarves, blouses and kameezes as several Dhaka-based garment traders placed orders to make fashionable designs ahead oftheEid-ul-Fitr.
Getting the attractive designs done for very cheap labour, traders make a good profit while the seasonal earning helps the artisans, mostly poor women, to have a joyful festival with family members.
This correspondent in last couple of days visited the handiwork al several villages like Dhelapeer, Islambagh,
Golahai and Neyamatpur of Saidpur upazila, Tenganmari, Rajarhat, Dundibari and Pourasava under Jaldhaka upazila, and Panchapukur and Kanial Khata ofSadar upazila.
Silling at their house yard in circles, middle-aged women, young girls and even children were seen making artistic designs on different kinds of clothes by setting chumki, puti, jori, colourful stones, lace and other fancy articles with the help of needles and threads.
Artisans usually learn the art of making the attractive designs from family members and neighbours.
As small children, they start the work as assistants of their mo thers or elder sisters.
"We do these design work after finishing our domestic
chores in the morning. My nine-year-old daughter also helps me in the work and learns the art,” Shakila Banu, an arti-san in Dhelapur village said.
"Dhaka-based traders supply sarees and other clothes and necessary fancy articles and catalogues containing various designs. Village women make the designs, according to choice of the order suppliers," said Anwar Hossain, president of 'Karu shilpi samobai samity’ inSaidpur.
Some local garments traders who have show rooms in Saidpur, Jaldhaka and Nilphamari like Champa Karchupi House, Pappu Fashion, Ruma Fashion, Mukta Fashion, Mina Batik House, Saudia Handicraft usually coordinate between Dhakabased traders and village
artisans in this work.
They sell a portion of the products at local markets while the larger portion is sent to Dhaka traders in exchange of handsome amounts of commission. Some local garment traders and individuals also supply clothes and fancy goods to village women for getting the artistic works done.
"The work starts in full swing two months before the Eid-ul-Fitr as hundreds of sarees and other dresses with artistic designs are prepared and sent to the capital. But the import of Indian dresses with machine-made designs leave a negative impact on local handiwork industry," SM Ali, owner of Champa Karchupi I louse, told newsmen.
Depending on the nature and quality of designs, an artisans gets Tk 700-Tk 1200 as wage for a saree, Tk 250-400 for a modesty scarf and Tk 100-Tk 250 for a blouse, sources said. It takes at least 15 days to make complete design on a silk saree.
Several artisans of Dhelapeer village of Saidpur upazila, including Baby Akhtar, Kazoli, Parveen, Shahida, Moni, Ayesha, and Asha said the seasonal work enables them to buy new dresses, churi, bangles, toys and oilier tilings as well as arrange good food for family members on the occasion of the Eid.
Depending on the quality of cloth and gravity of design, a designed saree is usually sold forTk 5,000-Tk 30,000 in Dhaka, sources said.
Amid rising popularity of the items, the number of orders from Dhaka is increasing and more and more women are getting involved in this seasonal profession.