Puri city is located in Orissa on the coast of Bay of Bengal in eastern India. The capital of Orissa, Bhubaneswar, is only 65 km away. Intertwined magnificence feel is what you get once you enter the city, this is also popular for the crafts like coir product. The efforts ahead manufacturing the raw resources are huge and involve several developments. Coir is a totally natural, eco-friendly and extraordinarily tensile fiber removed from the nuts of coconut palms. This natural wonder is available in profusion and finds various demonstrations. A natural product, coir being decomposable, atmosphere friendly and echo proof makes it a high quality product from an everlastingly renewable source.
There are various castes and tribes in the village of Siriapur in Patnaika situated in Puri District such as Vaishya, Khandayak, Silcot, Dhobi, Brahmins. These people are mainly farmers who do farming in the seasons suitable for farming.
The coconut palm has been praised as ‘Kalpvriksha’ the all giving tree in the classics of India. The use of coconut throughout India makes it a symbol of national unity. Woven magnificence is what you see in a coir product. Coir or coconut fiber is used very artistically to make a wide range of eco-friendly toys, wall hangings, key rings, Christmas hangings, pen stands and other home pejorative’s. Coir products are 100% natural. This craft is unique as it is produced only in Orissa and not in any other coconut rich states of India.
The Wonders of Coir Fiber are as followed:
1. Fiber is Moth-proof and strong when it comes in contact with one another.
2. It’s resistant to fungi and rot and is also easy to clean.
3. Provides excellent insulation against temperature and sound.
4. Fiber is not easily combustible and totally static free
5. Unaffected by moisture, dampness, tough and durable for long.
Previously raw coir fiber was separated with the help of hands and the price of raw material was high. However, now they have mechanical process of extracting/separating the coir which is cheap as well as it’s easily available. Keeping in mind the eco-friendly customs, chemical coolers are not used or dyed coir is not used. Instead colored thread or wool is used. Due to the increasing competition from businesses, a shift from coir mats to utility and decorative products is made. Now the business is increasing from local markets to international markets because of attractive designs and reasonable prices. Earlier this craft was only used for domestic purposes such as doormats for self-use, ropes etc. But now this area has been explored and addition to the existing products is made rapidly.
There are multiple society working for the craft industry but many families in Raghurajpur are successfully fulfilling their everyday needs by selling the crafts to customer that theme make.
The society delivers women and girls of the village with employment along with education. The women of the village can either work in the space provided for work or can take the work home and finish a prescribed amount of work and they are then paid accordingly. The craftsmen are happy with their socio economic status. They are getting orders from in and around Orissa. They also distribute their products to various countries like Japan, America etc. Due to timely design intervention the coir products are able to keep up with the growing competition.
There are many castes in Orissa who practice the coir craft to earn their livelihood, such as Vaishyas, Khandayak, Dhobi and Brahmins alike. It is used to make a wide range of eco-friendly toys, wall hanging, key rings, Christmas hangings, pen stands and other decorative items. Keeping in mind the eco-friendly norms, chemical coolers are not used or dyed coir is not used. Instead colored thread or wool is used.
