BURDWAN, Aug 27: Handmade Rakhis crafted by artisans in a village in West Bengal's East Burdwan have found buyers in the United States, with hundreds of traditional festive threads being exported from Harinali village ahead of Raksha Bandhan.
The order, routed through an agency, has brought cheer to the artisan family of Shanku Das and his wife, as the couple has been crafting traditional Rakhis for years.
"We make various types of Rakhis year-round, and pan-India orders excited us to work harder this year," said Shanku, adding, "Designs change as per demand and work peaks just before Raksha Bandhan."
The craft is more than a family enterprise - it is a rural livelihood engine in some parts of East Burdwan, and in Kalna, a Rakhi cluster was set up seven years ago. Tapan Modak, secretary of a Rakhi cooperative, said, "Like every year, we secured a bulk order worth at least 2 Crore this year, too."
At Harinali, miles away from the Kalna cluster, the Das couple, however, continue pursuing Rakhi making round the year. Raw materials and designs sourced from the Das household sustain nearly 500 women artisans across Hatgobindapur, Raina, Jamalpur in East Burdwan and parts of Hooghly and West Midnapore, who handcraft the festive threads at home.
Artisans say the US breakthrough has put Harinali on the global map and expect it to open fresh export avenues for Bengal's traditional Rakhi craft.
(UNI)