BARGARH: At a time when the handloom market is flooded with modern motifs and geometrical patterns, Harilal Meher’s loom celebrates the traditionality of the craft.
In his mid-70s, the weaver of Jhiliminda in Bargarh has not just revived hundreds of traditional Sambalpuri designs but is also using them to create contemporary patterns that have become hugely popular with handloom connoisseurs, both in India and abroad. In the process, he has also trained 5,000 weavers who, like him, are working towards popularising traditional designs in Sambalpuri weaves.
“Over the years, a multitude of designs and patterns have made their way into the design bank of Sambalpuri handlooms. For the last six decades, my work has been focused on finding old designs and integrating them with contemporary motifs,” said Harilal who was felicitated with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Handlooms, Textiles and Handicrafts department on the occasion of the National Handloom Day. In 2023, he was felicitated with Sant Kabir Handloom Award for a ‘Sachipar Dasphulia’ khadi saree.
His tryst with handlooms began early in life. Born in Bargaon, Harilal lost his father when he was a toddler. His mother then shifted to her paternal house at Jhiliminda – a weavers’ village – and pounded rice for a living. With finances being a constraint, Harilal never went to school but even as a child, the colourful dyes and threads and the hum of the handloom interested him. He kept visiting houses of weavers to see them work. By the age of 10, some weavers helped him learn tie and dye (Ikat), extracting threads and other jobs.
“I slowly started learning how to weave from every artisan in the village. It was my guru Ratnakar Meher who guided me throughout and taught me the nuances of weaving, particularly with traditional designs. Some years later, I began weaving sarees and used to sell them at Sambalpur,” Harilal recalled.
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