& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

JAMALGANJ UPAZILA OF SII NAM GANJ

Famous 'Shital Pati' changes lot of many

UNB, Sunamanj
Poor villagers of Jamalganj have turned their old tradition of making 'Shital Pati' (cool mat made of cane) in the upazila into a living.
They are preparing mats of different designs and gradually becoming self-reliant.
Villagers of Sonapur, Kalipur, Chanpur, Kadamtoli, Durgapur and Ramesharpur have been making different types of mat for ages.
Almost every member of a family of these villages is involved in this profession.
Cultivable land of this area remains under water for six months and there is no work for the villagers after the Bangla month of Baishakh.
They depend on preparing mats for their livelihood for these months.
Being residents of a haor (water body) area, these mat makers have no land for cultivation.
Poor economic condition is a big hurdle for the trade they are involved in.
Making pati (mat) is the only means of livelihood formany villages here.
'Shital Pati' of this area, which is widely famous, includes two varieties-normal and Jamdani.
After 15 days' training with the assistance of Jamalganj Sadar union parishad, they have learnt how to make embroideries on the mats.
They formed an association - Durgapur
Shapla Samity -- comprising 25 members.
One takes five days to make a normal mat and eight to nine days to prepare Jamdani mat while 25 days for embroidered mat.
Each normal mat is sold at Tk500, Jamdani atTk700 and nakshi (embroidered) atTk 2000 to Tk 2500.
But smooth production of the items is hampered for unavailability of 'Murtar' (cane of which mat is made).
The mat makers have to procure the material from Mongalkat Bazar of the district and different places of Sylhet.
It takes three years for Murtar to grow fully.
To prepare a mat, what are needed are 'Murtar' worth Tk 250 to Tk 300, dyes worth Tk 30 and three days' time.
A mat can sell forTk500toTk 700.
Locals Dhirendra Chadra Kar, Nikhil Chandra Das and Ratis Chandra Kar said this area faces disaster every year, particularly during the cultivation time.
For lack to capital, the industry remained closed fora longtime.
Although Jamalganj is famous for Shital Pati, the industry is not getting any patronisation from any quarter, they said.
Jamalganj, Sadar union parishad chairman Foizur Alam Mohan urged the authorities concerned to arrange training for mat makers through Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industry (BSIC).
BSIC provides training in different trades except Shital Pati, he said.