Thursday, September 28, 2006

Traditional handicrafts on the way of degradation

Kakatpur, September 25, 2006 (VISAKEO): Time and tide affect the grades and generations. Due to the expansion of science and modern technology, human mind is forgetting the past civilization and culture. The day palm leaf made handicrafts were very popular and for some grades, it was the only occupation on which the family was depending, now such handicrafts have been lost from the people’s mind. It is the human tendency to pick up the new and deject the old ones. No one can do with it to motivate to the conventional things and commodities. As a result, the old goods are losing its existence and making handicapped to the poor villagers.

Palm leaves handicrafts, which was useful from the villages to the city, today; this is a matter of dream to see in our houses. People prefers to umbrella, raincoat, and plastics instead of palm leaves made. As compared to the quality and amount, these easy available plastic goods are more suitable to the modern men. Now, people use umbrella for all seasons, polythene for rituals and plastics for grocery item preservation and electricity for air, then why should they go for natural handicrafts, which is costly and less lasting? On the other hand, the palm trees are getting exhausted after the super cyclone in the State. Regarding to the issue, a palm leaf businessman Jnana Sahoo said, the scarcity of the raw material palm leaf as well as the less demand for the handicrafts have led to the degradation of such handicrafts. Reacting over the matter another villager Gopinath Behera views that now the plastics and electricity are easily available at affordable cost, why should one go for the handicrafts?

Of course, the human mentality and choices are changing with the passage of time. No doubt, this palm leaves handicrafts will fail to secure its position and demand in modern market and advance technology.

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