Tangail Correspondent:

Shital-pati, a type of mat made by weaving strips of murta cane (Schumannianthus dichotomus), was once a popular household item across the country, prized for its smooth texture and natural cooling properties that offered comfort during the sweltering summer months.

Over time, however, the use of this traditional handicraft has almost disappeared.

In Paittapara of Baishkail village under Tangail’s Gopalpur upazila, around 150 Hindu families were once engaged in weaving shital-pati for generations.

Known as “Patikor” or “Paitta”, these weavers collected canes from local swamps and separated the fibres into strips to weave the mats.

With demand for the mats gradually declining over the decades, all the remaining weaver families turned to other professions — except one.

Naresh Chandra Chanda, 85, his wife Kamala Rani, 80, and their son Manotosh Chandra Chanda, 45, are now the last family of shital-pati weavers in the village, continuing their ancestral craft.

They weave the mats and sell them in local markets, keeping the tradition alive against all odds.

“My wife and I both have poor eyesight, making it difficult to weave. My wife mainly does the weaving. It takes three to four days to make one small mat and six to seven days for a large one. We have to buy the canes since those are no longer available locally. Each small mat sells for Tk 400–700 and large ones for up to Tk 2,000,” Naresh said.

Prabir Chandra Chanda, a trader in Gopalpur Bazar, said, “Only the family of Naresh Chanda has kept the tradition of weaving shital-pati alive in Gopalpur upazila. If they leave, this local tradition will be lost forever.”

Md Ekhlas Miah, upazila social service officer in Gopalpur, said projects for marginalised communities are not running in the upazila at the moment, adding that Naresh Chandra Chanda only receives old-age allowance from the government.