Agartala: Tripura Spiritual leader, Chitta Maharaj, and woman weaver, Rekha Chakma, were conferred with the prestigious Padma Shri Award. While Maharaj has been actively working for the preservation of the cultural and religious practices of the tribal society, Chakma revolutionised the handloom sector through the introduction of organic dyes.
Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha congratulated both the awardees on X, formerly Twitter.
In his first congratulatory note for Chitta Maharaj (Chitta Ranjan Debbarma) of Shanti Kali Ashram, Dr Saha said, “My heartfelt congratulations to Chitta Maharaj of Santikali Ashram (Shri Chitta Ranjan Debbarma) for being awarded the prestigious ‘Padma Shri’ in the category of Others-Spiritualism. Chitta Maharaj has been transforming the lives of many people, specially the Janajati section, through spiritualism and expansion of education”.
For handloom Weaver Smriti Rekha Chakma, Dr Saha said that her contribution in the field of handloom for introduction of eco-friendly dyes using vegetable colors is a remarkable transformation.
“Warm wishes to Smriti Rekha Chakma from Tripura for being awarded with Padma Shri Award 2024. Her contribution to the art through eco-friendly vegetables dyed cotton threads into traditional designs & promoting the use of natural dyes is remarkable. She is also empowering rural women through her organization Ujeia Jadha,” Saha wrote.
According to a press statement, Chakma established Ujeia Jadha, a socio-cultural organisation that imparts training to rural women in the art of weaving.
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She continues the process of traveling into forests to procure roots, seeds, herbs or leaves for the dye, before it gets into the whole process of drying, crushing & getting the colour.
She spent her childhood watching her grandmother weave on the loinloom (one of the oldest weaving machine) using traditional Naga methods, and now imparts training to younger generation.
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