travelmemoirsofswaati text

I am an intrepid traveller. Travelling has been my passion since school days. Hailing from the steel city of Rourkela in Odisha, I always had an opportunity to plan out my holidays with my family to exotic destinations that are rich in history and heritage in India. Looking back, I have also taken up trekking in Chauragarh hills of Pachmarhi, Shatrunjaya Hills of Palitana, Vaishno Devi or the Muktinath temple in Mustang Valley in Nepal and Lalang Waterfall in rainforests of Tioman Island in Malaysia. I have penned down the Odisha destinations in Pick2Move-India Travel planner brought out by Sampan Media Limited, New Delhi. I have compiled a travelogue themed- “Journeys across India” published by Best Books, Kolkata. I generally take up travel to pen down travelogues, know the art and craft of the faraway lands and of course, I do travel reporting for leading English dailies of India.

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Sunday, 9 April 2017

Bharatpur's Banjara tribe



Stunning craft works of Banjara tribe

For those tourists on a trip to the famed bird sanctuary of Bharatpur called Keoladeo Ghana National Park and hankering for handicraft works of the destination, look no further beyond. Not all of us are aware about the local craft practiced in the hamlets of the bird sanctuary that provides support in sustaining the tribal community of the area. At a distance of 7 km from Keoladeo Ghana National Park is Chak Ramnagar where rural women folks belonging to Banjara tribe have set up self-help groups called Eco Development Committee.

The rural women of Banjara tribe are involved in crafting unique art works that are on offer at the retail outlet in the bird sanctuary. The Banjara tribe are the travelling traders and craftsmen hailing from the district of Bharatpur and operate through Banjara Society of Cultural and Natural Heritage and Rajputana Society of Natural History (RSNH).





 Craft items of Banjara tribe


Aimed to preserve the natural heritage of the land through mass participation, RSNH came up sometime back in 2006 and its significant aim is to revive the forest ecosystem. It works in close association with government and voluntary groups to conserve the eco-system.





Colourful hats


The bird sanctuary has a retail outlet that has beautifully-crafted works of Banjara tribe and includes colourful hats, baskets and souvenirs. The women folks make round hats from local hard grasses and waste materials and once the items are made, brush is wielded to give colour to the item. The items are coloured in a way making a geometric pattern. One can admire the baskets, table mats, coasters and grass boxes crafted from reed or willow that have flexible branches and are locally known as “Sarkanda”. 




 Baskets crafted by Banjara women folks

 

These craft works come at a wallet-friendly price and fly off at a faster pace owing to global tourists visiting the bird sanctuary. 


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