Revive use of natural dyes: Tayeng

Itanagar, Feb 1( UNI) Arunachal Pradesh Textile&Handicrafts Minister Lombo Tayeng has called for reviving rich traditions of using natural dyes by the tribals with the help of IIT-technology.

Addressing an inaugural session of a three-day workshop on natural dyes on bamboo products, he said the use of natural dye would add value to bamboo-based finished products for carving a niche in national market.

Mr Tayeng said, ''While Tripura and Mizoram have signed MoU to supply 85,000 metric tonnes of finished bamboo products to Bangladesh: Arunachal Pradesh, a repository of bamboos of various species, was yet to make a mark in the sector.'' He mentioned that the foundation of Bamboo Technology Park has been laid at Niglok recently by Union Minister of State for Commerce Jairam Ramesh, which would go a long way in revolutionizing the sector.

The state government would allot 30 acres of land for the purpose, he informed.

''Though artisans of Ziro have succeeded in improving the quality, a lot more was expected with the neighbouring China with its highly developed technology had flooded the South East Asian markets with its products. Nani Sala Foundation has been running a bamboo-splitting unit sponsored by Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) at Ziro to help the artisans to make decorative handicrafts,'' he said.

Mr Tayeng said Chief Minister Gegong Apang, a naturalist, has been making all possible efforts to give a new thrust to bamboo and cane sector.

Arunachal is the third state to get the benefit of the training after Nagaland, Tripura and Guwahati (Assom), said Prof Gularajani, who was present in the programme, adding that IIT had started research on natural bamboo dyes 15 years ago and made it user-friendly for various textile purposes.

The dyes would increase the value of any product and enhance marketability, he said, adding a kit prepared by the IIT would be provided to the artisans.

While artificial dyes fade way soon, natural dyes make products extremely long lasting without any side effect, said Textile&Handicrafts secretary A K Acharya.

He cited the examples of 1600-year old Ajanta and Ellora and Tankha paintings in pagodas to buttress his point.

UNI