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List of products by brand ABHIJEET KHATUA
ABHIJEET KHATUA
Medinapur, West Bengal, India
Abhijit Khatua has been making MadurKathi mats from Kusha grass in his village, a craft he learnt from his father.The women in the family help in the gathering and preparation of the raw materials. The mats are woven, coloured and cut up to make different products. He says that there is hardly any market for his product in the village, so he sells in nearby Kharagpur and Kolkata. He has innovated with table mats and other knick-knacks which are now in demand. Abhjit says that going to cities for exhibitions not only gets him business but also exposure to develop new items.
Madur is one of the most famous and prominent mats among the varieties of mats manufactured in West Bengal. In Bengal, the word Madur is generic for floor mats. It is an ancient cottage industry from the place of Medinipur. The artisans working from the area are well trained in gathering labor-intensive raw materials and tools required for the craft. They weave these mats on a bamboo frame, using reed stalks and jute yarns. Today, the craft is practiced in workshops usually set inside households and run by family members. The craft, which is a means of living for thousands from the rural areas, is highly regarded for its durability and range of varieties.Reed Stalks is the primary raw material for making the mat. Jute Yarn is used in the weaving process. Wooden Mallet is used to knock the bamboo sticks so that they are rightly fixed to the frame that holds the handloom. Wooden Comb helps in aligning the yarn in the frame and pushes the reed stalks to stay intact. Hand Loom made of jute yarn and bamboo poles, which is made for weaving.
Weaving mat is a method where organic fibers turned into strips are plaited to form a structure. It is similar to any other weaving process but executed without the use of any high-end machines. Here firstly, the artisan keeps locally grown reed stalks ready. Then using a wooden mallet, bamboo sticks are knocked to the ground and fit the handloom to it. Later, by arranging the jute yarn strings with a wooden comb's help, the handloom frame is prepared. When the frame is ready, the artisan starts weaving the reed stalk one at a time, going through alternative strings. This is repeated multiple times until the intended length for the mat is achieved. Here the strips are woven in accordance with a predetermined pattern. Now with the help of a wooden comb, the reed stalks are pushed together and knotted at both ends. And as the last step, the extra reeds hanging from both sides are cut to give the mat a finishing touch.