A bilingual book documenting Odisha’s vibrant Chandua tradition and the knowledge, skills, and labour of its artisans was unveiled at the Odisha Research Centre in Bhubaneswar during the concluding session of the Odisha Craft Odyssey Symposium 2026.

Titled ‘Chandua: Canopies of Labour’, the book has been published in both Odia and English. It is the outcome of nearly nine months of research covering 45 artisan clusters across Odisha.

Extensive Research And Documentation

The research involved interactions with more than 255 artisans, field studies, archival research and documentation of artisans’ life stories. The book goes beyond the visual aspects of Chandua to record the knowledge, labour, traditions and experiences that underpin the craft.