ARTICLE
Sholapith
The objects the shola is used to make today serve specific functions such as the topor and mukut, traditional head accessories worn by the bride and groom in a Bengali wedding; torso and heads of the puppets made by the Muragachha Colony and Borboria village in Nadia district; the daak-e-shaaj, or decorations that are a part of the Durga Puja festivities. The sholapith craft is also famous in parts of Odisha where it is used to create headgears for the deity Jagannath and his siblings during the Rathayatra festivals and boats for the Boita Bandana or the Bali Yatra festival held during Kartik Purnima. While sholapith, as a craft material, is both biodegradable and eco-friendly, the plant has been a part of the Red List of Threatened Species compiled by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The sholapith craft is also known as netti in Tamil Nadu.
Bibliography
Baral, Bibhudutta and Srikanth B. “Shola Pith Topor – Kolkata.” D’Source. Accessed November 26, 2021.
https://www.dsource.in/resource/shola-pith-topor-kolkata/introduction
Encyclopedia of Crafts in Asia Pacific Region. “Pith craft of Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.” Accessed November 26, 2021.
Ghosh, Kundan. “Sholapith Craft of West Bengal: An Overview.” International Journal of Interdisciplinary and Multidisciplinary Studies (IJIMS), 2015, Vol 3, No.1, 54–62. http://www.ijims.com/uploads/3061d2421fc9e0fe53168.pdf
Mukherjee, Sreya. “Sholapith: Herbal Ivory of Bengal.” Sahapedia, July 03, 2018.
https://www.sahapedia.org/sholapith-herbal-ivory-of-bengal-0
Chatterjee, Baijayanti. “Conditions of Sholapith Craftspeople in Rural Bengal.” Sahapedia, July 03, 2018.
https://www.sahapedia.org/conditions-of-sholapith-craftspeople-rural-bengal
Gangopadhyay, Uttara. “A traditional craft material is trying to transcend its regional boundary and enter the international market.” Outlook India, August 10, 2019.
https://www.outlookindia.com/outlooktraveller/explore/story/69765/sholapith-an-eco-friendly-traditional-craft-from-bengal