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A photo series by Kolkata based photographer Pubarun Basu and Dr Oishimaya Sen Nag, depicting how the craft of weaving Sabai becomes a powerful tool for change, in the hands of Mayurbhanj's women.
A group of bold and dynamic women change-makers in a remote village in the Mayurbhanj District of Odisha are using a very ordinary-looking grass to create an extraordinary impact. The slender and sharp Sabai grass, as resilient to climate extremes as the women themselves are to the multitude of challenges that life thrusts at them, is being transformed into vibrant handicrafts. The craft is not just sustaining generations of women but is also environmentally sustainable.
It was this craft form that allured us with The Belgadia Palace, photographer Pubarun Basu and writer Dr. Oishimaya Sen Nag, to visit this cluster in Odisha.
A Story Of Transformation
In Mayurbhanj, the Sabai was traditionally used to make ropes due to its high durability and resilience. Growing the grass demanded no pampering as it could easily withstand long, dry spells and a lack of fertilisers. However, one property of the grass that remained less explored for a long time - the ease of dyeing the Sabai - came to the spotlight only recently. It allowed the humble Sabai ropes to be braided and adorned with vibrant colours to create attractive handicrafts like vases, mats, wall hangings, jewellery, and much more.
Our gracious host at the Belgadia Palace, Akshita Bhanj Deo, hailing from the royal family of Mayurbhanj and an ardent promoter of this craft form and other women-led initiatives, revealed the layered history of the craft to us.
“The story of the Sabai grass is deeply intertwined with the women of Mayurbhanj, who have defied traditional gender roles to become the backbone of a thriving eco-friendly craft movement. Their resilience mirrors that of the Sabai—strong, flexible, and rooted in the earth. Through their hands, a simple grass becomes a vessel of cultural heritage and economic independence. This photo series captures not just their craftsmanship, but their courage in reshaping what it means to be a woman in rural India today.” - Akshita Bhanj Deo
The development of the Sabai grass craft cluster in Mayurbhanj was spearheaded by Usha Rani Naik, who helped upgrade Sabai's status from its humble rope form to eye-catching handicrafts, enhancing the beauty of interiors in India and abroad. The grass, too, paid back, helping Usha and hundreds of other women of Mayurbhanj to earn a respectable livelihood.
Usha's life was fraught with challenges. Hailing from a family stricken with extreme poverty and marrying into one that did nothing to improve her financial condition, Usha knew she had two options: surrender to an impoverished life or carve out a path to success never thought of before. A discussion with a district officer helped Usha discover the uses of the Sabai, and soon, she set on a mission to convince a hundred women in her village to register a Self-Help Group (SHG) that would create Sabai handicrafts and benefit from government subsidies.
Breaking all social norms in a village where women empowerment was treated as alien, in 2001, Usha managed to create Guhaldihi's Sabai craft SHG - the group of women who would take the Sabai grass to the global market. The process was not easy, demanding a lot of convincing to allow the women to let go of their traditional boundaries and step out to earn a living. Establishing a demand for the new craft in the market was also quite challenging. However, the hard work and ingenuity of the women of Mayurbhanj paid back, and the Sabai craft cluster of the region soon started flourishing.
Sustaining Generations, Sustainable For The Environment
Today, nearly two decades after Usha Rani's endeavour to set up the Sabai cluster in Mayurbhanj, success has revealed itself in myriad forms. Not only has the craft empowered hundreds of women in many villages in the district and created an income source for generations of women, but it has also presented the modern consumerist market with a sustainable alternative.
The Sabai grass that grows in and around these villages, and one that is otherwise hardly noticeable, is now creating ripples in markets all around India and even places abroad with its stunning end products. The market demand is growing by the day, allowing Usha Rani and other women to earn better living standards for themselves and their families. The success is evident in the fact that many generations of women from the same family, from grandmothers to mothers and daughters, are employed in the same craft.
And it is not just the women who are reaping the benefits, but the environment as well. Coming from a grass that demands very little water and no artificial chemicals to grow and handcrafted by women in workshops without any heavy-duty machinery being employed, the process of Sabai handicraft generation is as "eco-friendly" as it can get. The end products are sustainable and green alternatives to those made of non-biodegradable and energy-consuming raw materials.
The steady growth of the Sabai grass craft cluster of Mayurbhanj also reveals the willingness of consumers to accept environment-friendly alternatives - a very positive and promising sign in an era of climate change and environmental degradation.
However, the success story of the Sabai craft and its artisans is not just limited to women empowerment and environmental protection. It is also playing another major role.
Preserving Culture For The Future Generations
Like any other handicraft, the Sabai grass craft is also helping preserve the rich local culture of Mayurbhanj. The Sabai handicrafts reveal the cultural symbols, beliefs, and art forms of the indigenous people of Mayurbhanj. From being shaped into forms of local flora and fauna to being designed with indigenous symbols and motifs, the handicrafts tell a tale of the past handed over from mothers to their daughters through this craft form.
While the Sabai grass itself, the Sabai artisans and their families, and the supporters and promoters of this craft, including the Belgadia Palace and Impact Society, deserve the credit for all the positive impact generated, the consumers deserve a fair share of praise as well. By believing in the Sabai products, they have helped create a demand for a sustainable alternative in the market and promoted an indigenous culture that would otherwise get lost in the tide of times.
The success of the Sabai grass craft is also an inspiration to many others trying to establish a similar craft form benefitting the environment, women, and indigenous communities.
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Oishimaya Sen Nag is an Indian native, currently residing in Kolkata. She has earned her Ph.D. degree and is presently engaged in full-time freelance writing and editing. She is an avid reader, a travel enthusiast and is sensitively aware of her surroundings, and loves mingling with people of eclectic cultures & participating in activities concerning wildlife conservation.
Pubarun Basu is a 22 year old photographer based in Kolkata, India. Pubarun made it to the Forbes 30 under 30 Asia 2022 -The Arts list. He was declared as the "Youth Photographer of the Year'' in the Sony World Photography Awards 2021 and his work has been published by international organisations such as National Geographic, Forbes, The Guardian, BBC, CNN, Rolling Stone, GQ, Vanity Fair, and more. Pubarun’s work has encompassed themes of environmental conservation, connecting the stories of resilience of indigenous communities with their intangible heritage.
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