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Sabai Grass Craft

Handmade wonders with Sabai grass

Description

The local name for the fiber or grass in the region is Babui Ghash, thriving abundantly in the forest fringe areas of Purulia, Bankura, and Jhargram. Women gather the grass, meticulously washing and drying it before twisting it into bundles to create ropes. The traditional livelihood centers around crafting ropes, which are then sold in the local market. Over time, Sabai artists, through skill enhancement, have expanded their repertoire to produce diverse products, elevating their market presence at both the state and national levels. Currently, there are 4730 Sabai artists engaged in crafting these products.

Process

- Harvesting: The journey begins with the meticulous harvesting of Babui Ghash, selecting the clean and complete strands after removing broken and unwanted parts.

- Softening the Grass: To prepare the grass for crafting, it undergoes a process of thrashing, soaking, and drying, ensuring it becomes soft and pliable.

- Forming Ropes and Smoothening: After drying, the grass is expertly twisted into bundles, and ropes are fashioned using a wheel twisting machine. Rough edges are smoothed by rubbing them on tree branches.

- Dyeing: The grass, ropes, and braids are dyed with azo-free disperse dyes, enhancing the material's versatility while maintaining its natural essence.

- Bundles: Ropes are bundled into various sizes, creating the foundation for crafting a wide array of products.

- Thali: Craftsmen meticulously stitch Sabai bundles to create beautiful, handwoven products, featuring chain-stitch-like embroidery, finishing with elegant handles.

- Weaving: Diverse weaving techniques are employed across the three districts, incorporating braids, date palm leaves, and looms.

Product

Traditional Description:

Sabai was not explored as a craft previously. It was used for making ropes.

Contemporary Description:

Presently artists from Jhargram, Bankura and Purulia are engaged in creating unique utility items with Sabai.

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Sabai - Women Weaving Change
Sabai - Women Weaving Change
Sabai of Purulia_West Bengal
Sabai of Purulia_West Bengal

Village Festival

Village festival has not been held at Sabai villages. However, as part of India Tourism Weekend Getaway campaign, Sabai village of Rajagram and Mrigichami was showcased.

International Visit

Dipali Mura from Purulia participated in Kvinde Festival, Copenhagen, Denmark which celebrated Intangible Cultural Heritage as an asset for enabling gender equity From 16th to 21st March, 2023.

Activity

The Sabai craft of West Bengal predominant in the 3 districts of West Bengal namely Purulia, Bankura, Jhargram have grown in the last few years. Some of the villages of Jhargram in Nayagram and villages like Mrigichami, Rajagram in Bandwan have grown as prosporing hubs of Sabai craft. New artists have also joined seeing the progress of the other clusters. The artists are being continuously trained on skill upgradation, product diverfication, and are linked to different markets. They are being trained on quality management, business, costing and communication skills.