Neighbour's Pride: Dhamtari Women In Chhattisgarh Weave Success With Sambalpuri Handloom From Odisha
Women who once struggled to fend for their families are now self-reliant, contributing to household expenses and school fees by weaving Sambalpuri sarees
Published : April 2, 2025 at 2:58 PM IST
Dhamtari: For years, women in Dhamtari’s Bijnapuri village had to struggle with financial hardship as they had to rely only on agriculture, that too for a few months each year. Hardly did they know that winds of change, or call it threads of change from the neighbouring state Odisha would bring about a handloom revolution, turn the direction of life and improve their finances.
In 2018, when the situation was not favourable for the women, the Bijnapuri Weavers Cooperative Society Limited was formed with just 24 weavers. The society started imparting training to women in weaving Sambalpuri sarees, a highly sought-after handloom product, usually the staple means of livelihood for weavers in Odisha's Sambalpur. Once trained, the society also looked into the marketing part helping the women earn Rs 300– Rs 350 per saree, with some even getting Rs 10,000–Rs 12,000 per month.
Today, the society has grown with 230 artisans on board, including 180 women from nearby villages who produce not only sarees but school uniforms, hospital bedsheets, and traditional tribal fabrics.
The manager of the society, Avadharam Devangan, said that the women who used to work for four months only, are now working throughout the year. "Thee earn Rs 1000 to Rs 1200 after skill development training," he said.
The government provides financial assistance from time to time and also lends infrastructural support. "We want additional work shed for women because the more the women, the more the competition. The collector had recently visited us and instructed administration officials to ensure facilities are provided to increase the income of women," Avadharam informed.
“We are now making Sambalpuri sarees, with designs typical to the region in Odisha. It takes a few days to weave one saree, and we earn Rs 10,000 a month,” stated Rameshwari Devangan, a weaver from Bijnapuri.
For many of the women who were earlier whiling away time, the handloom work has been life-changing. “It has become easy to run the family expenses now. I can now bear household expenses and children’s education requirements also. Earlier, we depended on agriculture, but now, weaving has become a safe option for our sustenance,” shared Meena Devangan, another weaver.
Bringing Odisha’s Weaving Tradition to Chhattisgarh
Getting their hands into weaving Sambalpuri sarees has not only provided financial stability to the women but also strengthened cultural ties between the two states Chhattisgarh and Odisha. Several women from the cooperative society were sent for training to Sambalpur to learn the techniques and nuances.
“I have studied up to class 12 and a member of the society. The district collector visited us and encouraged us to experiment with weaving, especially in making Odisha’s traditional sarees,” said Kusum Sahu, a young weaver.
With support from the district administration, the initiative is set to expand further. Collector Abinash Mishra said that there is immense potential in the local handloom industry. "The district has more than 2,500 artisans who are engaged in weaving. To boost the production and increase their earnings, we are planning to build additional work sheds in Bijnapuri and Shyamtarai, so that the weavers get the best infrastructure to work with," he asserted.
Speaking about the demand for Sambalpuri sarees, Mishra also said that once the weavers refine their skills, they can increase their earnings in a big way. Direct business-to-business (B2B) sales can also ensure better prices, he further added.
A Model for Sustainable Livelihoods
The initiative has proved a boon for the women as on one hand, they are getting work throughout the year, while on the other, they do not have to migrate to other places in search of work. The success women in Bijnapuri have achieved will inspire many more, Avadharam hoped. "The demand for locally woven Sambalpuri sarees is steadily rising and the ones we make here are not expensive so these will have a better demand. We are therefore making sure that proper training is imparted to the women so that it can turn their skills into a sustainable livelihood," he added.
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