Odisha's Young Artisan Keeps Date And Palm Leaf Art Alive With His Magnificent Creations

Bhubaneswar: Satyajit Moharana (24) of Kakatpur in Puri aspires to be an entrepreneur by pursuing his passion for making decorative items from date and palm leaves.

Once items made of date and palm leaves were a rage but over the years plastic has overshadowed the art form much to the chagrin of creators like Satyajit who makes flower vases and flowers like lotus, rose and sunflower from date palm leaves. He also makes light covers and pen stands from palm leaves.

Satyajit's stall at the Odisha Culture and Art Exhibition in Bhubaneswar has been drawing huge crowd which proves the art is not dead after all. In fact, connoisseur of such art galore and the exhibition is a great medium to connect with it and its creator.

Flowers and vase made of date and palm leaves at Satyajit's stall (ETV Bharat)

"Earlier, people did not use plastic much and used baskets made of palm leaf straws. I wanted to do something new with palm and date leaves. and started making flower pots from palm leaf straws, and flowers from palm and date leaves. Since the items are made of dry leaves, they last longer and are quite durable," Satyajit said.

Satyajit Moharana working on a decorative item at his stall (ETV Bharat)

What's even better is that Satyajit's creations do not harm the environment. A student of Dhauli Art College, on the outskirts of the state capital, Satyajit aspires to make his creations more accessible to people.

The youngster said he learns from fairs, exhibitions and YouTube. "It takes a day to make a vase and 15 minutes to make a flower. I have been doing this for the last two to three years and want to pursue it further and turn it into a business," Satyajit said. He said his mother helps him in his work. "I want to hone my skill further and keep learning to make even better products," Satyajit said.

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