Vocational Training with Computer TechniquesDuration: Three months Led by teacher Mehatab Alam from Bhubaneswar, our tailoring training program equipped 15 girls with various fashion design techniques, including a Princess cut blouse, Boat neck princess cutting blouse, Sarara pant, and more. It was conducted over two weekends for full-day intense workshops. The comprehensive skills learned during …
While the textiles have made their mark as this region’s original weave, these gorgeous saris still need to be more popular among consumers and sari enthusiasts. I had never heard of the Habaspuri handloom sari, even though I have worked with weavers in different parts of Odisha since 2007. This year, in August, while at a conference …
On 23rd September, I took a 9-sitter flight, the smallest I have flown in my life, from Bhubaneswar to Jeypore to learn about the Panikas, the weavers of Kotpad textile who traditionally weave clothes for their tribal neighbors. The weave is named after the town Kotpad. It is known for the organic coloring of the …
Weavers Voices in Civil Society: New Opportunities? A Case study of Kotpad, Odisha Read More »
According to the Web Foundation, globally, men are 21% more likely than women to have access to the internet. In technology-based employment, only 24% of computer jobs are held by women. In India, one of the biggest tech hubs in the world, only 35% of tech workers are women. Among technology-driven flexible jobs, women have …
I had mentioned visiting Nuapatna, Cuttack, to meet the Maniabandha weavers in an earlier post. Our visit on that day had another purpose too. I along with Dr. Annapurna Pandey, a prof at UC Santa Cruz, and Rajesh, a film director, ventured out one day for Nuapatna. It was a beautiful day fairly warm for …
Since 1999, June is celebrated as L.G.B.T.Q.+ Pride Month to affirm people’s different identities and celebrate their culture and community. In their suffering, denial of their identity, and freedom of expression, the Pride Month is a reminder of the Queer resilience to demonstrate their solidarity and assert their humanity. In his New York Times column …
COVID-19 has had a devastating impact all over the world. While people in the United States are approaching the beginning of the end of the pandemic, it is creating havoc in India. The poor have been affected Disproportionately. Similarly the lives and livelihood of weavers have been devastated. The weavers of Kotpad village and the …
Fabric of Life On the Edge: The Endangered Weavers of Kotpad and Niyamgiri in Odisha Read More »
The sari is uniquely Indian and feminine — a five-meter-long wrap of colorful and vibrant fabric — usually silk or cotton; with synthetics entering the mix in the 20th century — that conveys a woman’s beauty and grace. My earliest memories are of my mother wearing colorful handloom Odisha saris every day. How stunning she …
This year marks a lot of firsts for transgender political activists in the United States. Delaware State Senator Sarah McBride, a Democrat, became the first highest-ranking openly trans official in the country; while Dr. Rachel Levine, a former Pennsylvania health secretary and President Biden’s pick to be assistant secretary of health, stands to be the …
The Indian diaspora comprises around 4.8 million people, according to the United States Census Bureau, 2018. Indians have come a long way since the 1965 Immigration and Naturalization Act, which opened up doors for their higher education and employment opportunities in the United States. In 2014, Indians became the largest immigrant group and are also …
Autumn in America: What Ails Aging Indian Parents Who Have Come Live With Their Children Read More »
