Sitalpati: The Cool Weaves

This report focuses on Sitalpati weaving in West Bengal’s Cooch Behar district. The document was published through a joint effort of the West Bengal Government's Department of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Textiles and UNESCO. 

Ghughumari in West Bengal's northeast region, located in its Cooch Behar district, serves as the hub for Sitalpati. The report delves into its origins and extent, and features images of the artisans at work. Sitalpati is made from ‘murta’, the report states, a rhizomatous plant which grows in marshy areas.

The report elaborates on this practice which involves around 14,000 family-owned businesses. Men cultivate and extract fibres from cane while women are the weavers. The weaves of Sitalpati are intricate and designed in diagonal, straight, and geometric patterns. The designs often feature woven letters, temple spires, and human figures. Completing these complex patterns takes approximately 35 days, the report states.

Spanning 24 pages, the document is structured into 10 sections: the location (section 1), the plant (section 2), the fibre (section 3), the craftpersons (section 4), the weave (section 5), the motifs (section 6), the market (section 7), the product (section 8), the folkart centre (section 9) and the directory (section 10). 

Focus by Madhumita Rajgopal.