Teaching ways to utilize traditional textile
Shobharani Lakra is an Assistant Professor in the Fashion Design Department at National Institute of Fashion Technology, Bhubaneshwar. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Textile Design from National Institute of Fashion Technology, Kolkata and a Master’s Degree in Mass Communication/ Media Studies from Bharatiyar University, Coimbatore. She has worked with enterprises like Marvel Exports (Jaipur), Manisha Exports (Kolkata), JHARCRAFT (Ranchi).
She comes from Oraon tribe and is a native of Sundargarh district in Odisha. While working as an Assistant Designer in JHARCRAFT, Shobharani has worked with various indigenous crafts of Jharkhand many of which were languishing then and were revived. She has been in NIFT Bhubaneswar since 2016 as an Assistant Professor. She teaches craft related subjects both in Textile Design Department and Fashion Design Department. Along with teaching the basics of textiles, she also teaches making of silhouettes and the ways to utilise traditional textiles as fashionable garments. Additionally she looks after the portfolio called CIC (Cluster Incharge Coordinator) where she looks after cluster works of handloom and handicraft for the state.
Design according to Shobharani has a major scope of innovation with regards to indigenous arts and crafts that are very distinct yet are languishing. It is the need of the hour to document the oral indigenous knowledge lest it shall perish. She looks forward to documenting and through it arrive at a point where such knowledge can contribute to the society as whole. Presently she is involved in various projects with the Odisha government. Some of them are Jute Corporation of India Ltd which is concerned with the diversification of products made out of jute and simultaneously providing employment to jute producers. She is also a part of Silk Textile under Central Silk Board and Directorate of Textiles, Odisha Government. Prior to these, she was also involved in the revival of Jadupatia paintings of Dumka. She has documented themes of Sohrai paintings and Paitkar paintings. She is also carrying out research on motif direction.