Elegant indigenous designs on Eid

Handloom fairs are a natural stop for people.Photo: Afsar Ahmed

Eid is a time of joy and renewal. With less than a week to go before the big day, youngsters are a familiar sight at shopping malls, boutiques and other shops. These outlets boast of a range of trendy and traditional attire, both western and indigenous. The latter, particularly Chakma and Manipuri garments, are a favourite with shoppers.

In the run up to Eid, the city is dotted with many indigenous handloom fairs. In a handloom fair in Karwan Bazar, Manipuri Handicrafts offers buyers a range of apparel. Particularly attractive to buyers are the Manipuri sarees. Ranjita Singha, the proprietor of the shop, came all the way from Maulvi Bazar along with her weavers for the fair.

She said, 'I have been in this profession since 1994. We offer buyers special designs in saris, as for instance, our exquisite Rani Sari range. The sari has been designed by a Manipuri designer Rani, who lived in Sylhet around 100 years ago. The design has been passed on among the Manipuris through generations.'

Ranjita Singha draws attention to the fact that every Manipuri family has at least one weaving machine at home to make handloom saris, salwar-kamiz, three pieces, fatua, bed cover, Jali Chadars, Orna, Shawls and the traditional costume of Manipuri girls, Filop-Fanik-Blouse. These garments have a huge demand among the Bangalee women. Nilkanto Singha, another worker of the stall, said 'We want to make this attire more popular. However, as we only get meagre support from the authorities this is a difficult proposition.'

Chakma apparel is also a big seller in Dhaka. Among the stalls in the handloom fair in Shegun Bagicha is Moyon Textile which sells Chakma garments. Aparna Chakma, the salesgirl of the stall, said, 'The workers are from the hilly region of Rangamati. Our clothes and designs are in great demand around the country. However, we can hardly fulfill the demand because of several obstacles.' As she pointed out, the production cost is very high since the whole process of production, ranging from spinning the thread with Shimul Toola to colouring the fabric, is done manually by the hill people. Among the attire most in demand by the Chakma people are saris, salwar-kamiz, and bed sheets. Equally popular are the traditional attire of Chakma girls Lefoar and Pinon Khadi --the most expensive ones. The main expenditure is due to the cost of cotton threads in which they use dyes to make the vivid colours fast and long lasting.

Rehana Akhtar, a regular wearer of Chakma garments said,' I always buy this apparel because the bright and attractive colours are long lasting and the quality is good, even if the price is a bit high.'

The handloom fairs are a natural stop for people who want to buy such indigenous garments. But during off- season the buyer has to go to the home towns of the manufacturers. It is a telling commentary that, in the absence of patronage, there are no permanent showrooms or shops in Dhaka.