MONDAY, 31 JULY 2023 | PNS | JOSHIMATH
During his Mann Ki Baat address on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a special reference to the women of Niti-Mana valley in the Chamoli district. He said that the gift of an item made from Bhojpatra bark by the women is one of the most prized items in his life. Since ancient times, scriptures were written on Bhojpatra bark and today the women of Uttarakhand are making attractive art pieces and memorabilia from Bhojpatra
. The ancient heritage of Bhojpatra is also playing a role in bringing happiness in the lives of people in Uttarakhand. The State government is also providing training for making new products from this bark while also working to conserve the Bhojpatra tree. Along with preserving ancient culture, this effort is also benefitting the local women financially. The PM also appreciated the State government under chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami for this.
It will be recalled that some days ago the women of Mana village had written a letter to PM Modi in which they had also thanked him for the work which has been started on Bhojpatra. On October 21 last year, the PM had visited Mana and members of a women’s self help group had presented an art piece made on Bhojpatra bark to him during a Saras Mela held in Badrinath. The PM had praised the efforts of the tribal women on the occasion.
Motivated by the PM’s response, the women then sent him a letter along with the Badrinath Arti written on a Bhojpatra bark to express their gratitude to him. The PM had also tweeted regarding the letter after which the demand for the Bhojpatra items made by the women saw a rise. The women are consistently getting orders for different items and that they are benefitting financially from the efforts for which they credit PM Modi.
The Chamoli district administration is also undertaking efforts to encourage the making of Bhojpatra items. Calligraphy training is being provided for making Bhojpatra souvenirs. At the same time, a Bhojpatra nursery has also been established as part of efforts to preserve the tree.
