Coir Craft - Raghurajpur, Orissa
The coir fiber is first sorted out and separated on the basis of their knots and other similarities. For making a toy, firstly, the design is to be finalized and made on the paper. According to the design they work on the proportion of the toys. For simple and small products, the coir is simply tied with the thread to make desired products. Glue is diluted with water and then used for pasting the fiber on the main body. The card board is cut into required shapes then fiber is stuck over the board which is used to provide proper shape and stiffness. Sometimes if the product is quite small for instance, a leaf, then cardboard is cut into that shape and coir is tied on it with thread and glue. These toys are worked out in different parts and made in different forms. An artesian makes these parts in the particular day after which they are attached once all the parts are ready. Different parts are made by different people and then all the parts are assembled together with the help of thread, needle and glue. After the completion of the product it is to be dipped in diluted glue for durability and stiffness.
Cotton thread is used to wrap the forms or products made of coir fiber. This helps the product to take a definite and a stable form. Colored wool is used for surface ornamentation of coir crafts like for eyes, clothes etc. Depending on the design. Use of color wool also enhances the look of the toy. For value addition, wooden beads and metal bells are also used. After the completion of the toy or product, it is dipped into diluted glue. This is done, so that the thread stiffens up and does not open up. Glue solution provides better durability and stability to the product or toy. The final product may take two hours to six hours for completing depending upon the size of the product.
Once the products are dried, they are packed in a newspaper, tied with the help of thread, and either sold to the middle men or direct marketing in front of a temple, tourist spots, shops etc. These product’s is attractive due to its decoration and various other attractive elements involved in the fiber.
