RANGPUR, Aug 8: The demand for Shatranji (handcrafted rug), a heritage of Rangpur, is on the increase on account of its high quality, intricate designs and enchanting beauty. The traditional manually woven carpet has conquered the hearts of the people at home and abroad.
Weaving of Satranji has also become a blessing for thousands of extreme poor people, especially women of different areas in Rangpur district, as it provides them a way to earn their living.
Satranji has a splendid history as well. During the British period the colourful rug was manufactured in village Pirpur on the outskirts of the town. In 1830 district collector of Rangpur Mr. Nishbet showed fondness for Shatranji.
He arranged government patronisation for the weavers. Later the villagers named the village Nishbetganj after him.
Subsequently, due to many reasons including Partition of the sub-continent, political instability and introduction of modern technology the craft was almost on the verge of extinction.
Afterward, Shafiqul Alam, a young entrepreneur came forward and contributed a lot to revive the lost craft. He set up a show room named Karupannya in the Rangpur town in 1991. At the initial stage he engaged only five weavers to knit the rugs to sell those at his shop. Later, he set up a cottage industry at Nishbetganj in Rangpur Sadar and a showroom at Shukrabad in Dhaka, engaging around 1000 workers.
With a view to expanding the market of Shatranji worldwide he had to work hard, Shafiqul said adding that he visited different countries to attract the foreign buyers. In 2002 Shatranji was exported for the first time to Japan and he earned 20 thousand dollar, Shafiqul further said. Presently it is being exported to some 36 countries of the world including Germany and America, he added.
The creative weavers introduce something new and come up with fashionable varieties of rug. They weave yarn and turn them into different qualities and kinds which have a huge demand in the country as well as abroad.
Besides Karupannya, a number of other Shatranji factories have been set up in different areas of Rangpur district including Lahirirhat, Podaganj, Pirgachha,Robartsonganj area.
"We get Tk 150 to Tk 200 per day for making rug depending on design and quality", some weavers of Satranji Palli at Nisbetganj told The Financial Express. "Earlier we passed days in acute misery due to abject poverty but now we have changed our financial condition by manufacturing Shatranji", they added.
Around 5000 workers mainly, vulnerable women, are working in Shatranji factories in different areas in the district where they are producing colourful floor rugs, door mats, Jainamaz, wall mats, table mats etc which have drawn the attention of the buyers, Shafiqul said.
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