Bhubaneswar: Rasananda Meher of Sonepur was felicitated with the National Handloom Award by Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar at New Delhi for weaving an unique Sambalpuri Bandha saree.
The award, which is instituted by the Ministry of Textiles, was conferred on the weaver for his contribution to the handloom sector. He was honoured for weaving a Sambalpuri Bandha (Ikat or tie and dye) saree, which has motifs and information on the 17 GI-tagged products of Odisha.
According to reports, researcher Anita Sabat helped the weaver with the idea. Weaver Prafulla Meher had also provided guidance to Rasananda. In 2015, his son, Son Biswanath Meher had won the first National Handloom Award for his Maa saree.