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Anjana Moharana

Appliqué artisan

Artisan

Khordha

Appliqué artisan

Anjana Moharana is a 68-year-old appliqué artisan based in Bhakarsahi, Banamalipur, Khordha district, Odisha. She learned the craft through generational transmission within the household, acquiring skills through observation, repetition, and everyday participation in shared making practices. Her decades-long engagement with the craft reflects the often under-recognised role of women in sustaining continuity within domestic craft traditions. Working with textiles, thread, and hand stitching techniques, her practice contributes to the making of household appliqué objects such as decorative hangings, screen coverings, and bed-related textiles. The craft remains deeply embedded within domestic rhythms, where making unfolds alongside caregiving, household responsibilities, and collective family labour. Her work circulates through local markets, Utkalika, and exhibitions and fairs across the region. In 2005, she received the State Award in recognition of her contribution to the appliqué tradition. Her practice reflects a lifetime of sustained labour and knowledge transmission, while also engaging with contemporary challenges such as market competition, material constraints, and changing generational aspirations.

Anjana Moharana, State Award-winning appliqué artisan from Bhakarsahi, Banamalipur, Khordha district, Odisha, preserving traditional handcrafted textile and household décor craft heritage

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