App. Sci. Report.

13 (2), 2016: 88-95

© PSCI Publications

Applied Science Reports www.pscipub.com/ASR

E-ISSN:2310-9440 / P-ISSN: 2311-0139

DOI: 10.15192/PSCP.ASR.2016.13.2.8895

Status, distribution and economic potential of ‘Santara’ grass

(CyperusalopecuroidesRottb. (Poaceae) in Bhadrak District of

Odisha, India

T. Panda1*

, N. Mishra2, B.K.Pradhan

1 andR. B.Mohanty

3

*1. Department of Botany, Chandbali College, Chandbali, Bhadrak- 756133, Odisha, India

2. Department of Zoology, Chandbali College, Chandbali, Bhadrak- 756133, Odisha, India

3. Department of Botany, Chandbali College, Chandbali, Bhadrak- 756133, Odisha, India. Department of Botany, N.C.

(Autonomous) College, Jajpur-755001, Odisha, India

Corresponding author email:taranisenpanda@yahoo.co.in Paper Information A B S T R A C T

Received: 11 October, 2015

Accepted: 17 December, 2015

Published: 15 February, 2016

Citation

Panda T, Mishra N, Pradhan BK , Mohanty RB. 2016.

Status, distribution and economic potential of ‘Santara’

grass (CyperusalopecuroidesRottb. (Poaceae) in Bhadrak District of Odisha, India. Applied Science Reports, 13 (2),

88-95. Retrieved from www.pscipub.com

(DOI:10.15192/PSCP.ASR.2016.13.2.8895)

The paper provides first hand information on the economic utility of an

aquatic herbaceous weed (Cyperusalopecuroides) for preparation of

handicraft items and argues that it plays a crucial role of the livelihoods of poor rural people in Bhadrak district, Odisha, India. The plant colloquially

called ‘Hensuati’ (CyperusalopecuroidesRottb.(Poaceae) is of common

occurrence in shallow water bodies close to the irrigation canal , ponds and river banks of the locality. Field visits were conducted from 2013-2014,

the elderly craftsmen active in different villages were interviewed

following the standard and prescribed procedure. Crafts made from Cyperusalopecuroides are delicate and high valued in terms of cultural and

religious purposes. Efforts were made towards documenting the traditional

art and to highlight its unique characteristics with respect to mode of collection of raw materials, their processing, method of preparation of

handicrafts, tools and techniques, utility of specific items along with their

economic and marketing aspects etc. Concern was also given towards reflecting the present scenario of this handicraft and the socio-economic

profile of the craftsmen involved in the craft. Some remedial measures are

suggested to save this endangered folk-craft from the invasion of modern plastic and other synthetic products.

© 2016 PSCI Publisher All rights reserved.

Key words:Indigenous knowledge, Traditional artifacts, Cyperusalopecuroides, Bhadrak district.

Introduction

CyperusalopecuroidesRottb. (Poaceae), commonly known as ‘Santara’ and locally ‘Hensuati, is a herbaceous aquatic

weed growing in moist places and shallow water bodies close to the canal, pond and river of Bhadrak district of Odisha. It is

also widely distributed in numerous tropical and subtropical territories of central and southern Africa, Madagascar, Arabia,

India, Malaysia, Pakistan, tropical Australia, Central America, Egypt and Palestine (Clarke 1884; Kükenthal 1936; Feinbrun-

Dothan 1986; Kukkonen 1998; Sexena and Brahma 1996; Boulos 2005). In India, the species is generally distributed in

Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha and Peninsular India.

India, a country of villages, where agriculture is the major livelihood of the people followed by some other subsidiary

occupations. Traditional handicrafts also known as craftworks or simply crafts are one such subsidiary occupation, based on

plant, animal or any other living sources. It is the component of folk culture throughout the world. The arts and crafts of any

region is a reflection of its environment ,people as well as their myths, legends, rituals, ceremonies, festivals and cultural

behaviour. Consequently, each culturally definable region has developed distinctive characteristics of its own in the field of

creative art and craft glorifying the heritage of that locality (Patel et al. 2003;Ertug 2006;Dogan 2008; John 2010; Sharma and

Borthakur 2010; Albayrak, and Ozdemir 2012; Jain and Tiwari 2012). Handicrafts, the items, made by hand, are designed for

particular purposes with the help of simple tools, are generally artistic and/ or traditional in nature. Many of these products

have notable cultural and/or religious significance. Such handicraft materials are connected with household or community

activity and for decorative purposes. The person who imagines and creates these hand made goods of different forms is called

as craftsman who is otherwise known as Silpi, Kalakar, Bindhani, Moharana, Karigar etc. The plants employed in making

App. Sci. Report. 13 (2), 2016: 88-95

89

these handicrafts serve as a major source of livelihood to these craftsmen (Cunningham 1987; Heinsohn and

Cunningham1991;Balick and Cox 1996;Cawe and Ntloko 1997; Shackleton and Shackleton 2000; Thomas 2008). Recently

some studies have focused on the plant based handicrafts and their economic importance in different countries of the world

(Ahmad and Javed 2007; Motti et al. 2009) and also in the Indian subcontinent (Jain 1981).But any comprehensive and elite

study on this aspect is yet to be done in our country (Radhakrishnan et al. 2000). In this context, very little work has been done

to document the extent of craftwork production for local use, within rural areas of Odisha (Mohanty et al. 2012; Tripathy et al.

2012) while there is no information on the use of ‘Santara’ grass in the preparation of handicrafts. The present study focuses

the plant based traditional handicrafts in order to document the folk knowledge and local traditions. This paper aims to explore

the dynamic value of the local people engaged in making plant-based craft traditionally, emphasizing on its origin, evolution,

present status and future prospect, not reported earlier.

General characteristics of the species Cyperusalopecuroides is a perennial species (Fig.2a and b) with a very short thick rhizome. Stems erect, solitary,

stout, trigonous, 2-5 mm wide, leafy at the much thickened base. Leaves generally shorter than the stems, papery, with blade 6-

16 mm wide, flat, scabrous, the midrib prominent and lateral veins numerous, fine. Bracts 4-7, leaf like, to 70 cm long.

Bracteoles shorter than partial umbel. Inflorescence a compound umbel, with primary rays 5-10, unequal, to 15 cm long,

secondary rays absent or short. Spikes 1-8 clustered, cylindrical, 5-10 mm wide and 15-40 mm long. Spikelets very numerous,

4-7 mm long and 1.6-3 mm wide, ovate, lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, acute, compressed, 10-20 flowered, golden-

brown.Rachilla straight, strongly compressed, persistent, narrowly winged.Glumes ovate elliptic, densely imbricate, 1.5-2.5

mm long and 1.0.-1.25 mm wide, flat, 3-7-veined.Stamens 2(-3).Stigmas mostly 2.Nut yellow stramineous, dorsiventrally

compressed, plano-convex or with a raised dorsal angle, ellipsoid, 0.8-0.9 mm long, shortly apiculate. The perennial bush

developed naturally and survives the long spell of rainy months while the new shoots sprout with the monsoon rain in the

beginning of June every year. The flowering starts in late August or September and the area looks as if covered with light

reddish brown carpet (Fig. 2c and d). It matures in October-November.

Materials and Methods

Bhadrak district (20° 4321° 13N and 86° 687° E) is located in northeast Odisha,India and covers an area of 2505

km2,with a population of 1.507 million (2011 Census). It is bordered by Balasore district in the north, Jajpur in the south, Bay

of Bengal and Kendrapara district in the east and Koenjher in the west. The district accounts for 1.61% of the state’s territory

and shares 3.59% of the state’s population. Most of its people live in villages (86.66%) and agriculture is their main

occupation. The climate of the district is warm and humid. Three distinct annual seasons are the rainy season (mid June to mid

October), winter (mid October to February) and summer (March to mid June). Air temperature ranges from 38°C in summer to

13°C in winter and the annual average rainfall is approximately 1,550mm. The district is located in the deltaic region near the

Bay of Bengal and has all the features of a costal climate, i.e. maritime weather influence, coastal winds and cyclones (Fig. 1).

The present work is the outcome of the ethnobotanical survey conducted in Bhadrak district of Odisha, India during the year

2013-14. Prior to undertaking field research, the objectives of the study were discussed with the local village heads. Consent

was granted by the local people for the dissemination of their traditional knowledge. Different habitats with abundant growth

of ‘Santara’ plant and their use in making craft materials were selected for the present study after collecting relevant prior

information. Field visits were conducted during 2013-2014. Each visit extended for a minimum period of four to five days for

field observation, meeting and interaction with craftsmen and for collection of other relevant information. The elderly

craftsmen and team leaders of various groups active in different villages were identified and interviewed. Questionnaire was

developed following the standard and prescribed procedure (Martin 1995; Jain and Mudgal 1999) to collect data like the local

name of the plant, particular part used, mode of collection of raw materials, their processing, method of preparation of

handicraft, tools and techniques, utility of specific items along with their economic and marketing aspects etc. As most of the

craftsmen are illiterate, structural interviews were conducted by putting a series of pre-determined questions. The sample

specimen was collected, identified with the help of the local floras (Haines 1925; Sexena and Brahma 1996); herbarium

specimen was prepared and deposited in the herbarium section of the Botany department of Chandbali College, Chandbali for

future reference. The plant in its natural habitat, craftsmen groups at work, finished products etc. were systematically

photographed.

Results The percentage of literacy of the artisans engaged in ‘Santara’ craftwork is very low i.e. less than 10%. Seventy

percent of families have marginal agricultural land and the remaining have no land. The people (both men and women) are

earning their livelihood on daily wage basis. It was observed that natural regeneration of ‘Santara’ trees occurs in five different

wetland habitats namely rice fields, canal and pond banks, river banks and fallow lands. Although the wetland having natural

vegetation of‘Santara’is under the jurisdiction of Government but the farmers impose their right on the shrubs growing along

App. Sci. Report. 13 (2), 2016: 88-95

90

river and canal banks. They cut the plants manually with the help of a sickle, bundle it and carry it to home where the

inflorescences are separated and the remaining portion is sun dried for about a week after which the sundried portions are

bundled and stored for future use (Fig.2c-f and Fig.3a-d). It requires no complicated tools to make the craft.

Making artifacts from ‘Hensuati’ is exclusively the work of the male folk. The tools they use are two stands (made

from either wood or bamboo) simple stones of various sizes and ropes (Fig.3e and f). The door bandh may be used as two

stands. The rope prepared from jute is used in the preparation of mat. The stones are tightly bound to the rope and hang down

on both sides of the stand. Either the whole stem is used or it is made to split into two parts lengthwise as per requirement.

Normally the artisans do the weaving and craft making in leisure time. They use little amount of water to make the material

soft and malleable. They prepare varieties of mat of different sizes and other items to attract the attention and appreciation of

viewers due to their intricate design and glazing golden yellow colour (Fig.4a-d). Of course different synthetic coloured plastic

materials are used now a days to make the items more attractive and marketable. The positive aspects of these artifacts are their

long lasting, non-fading natural colour and low price for which the handicrafts are familiar in every house of this region. The

sitting mat is found in almost all the households which are used on a daily basis. The majority of households have between

three and five sitting mats each. The sleeping mat, five or six times bigger than the sitting mat, is also found in almost all the

households. Bundles of between three and five kilograms of stems are normally needed to make one sleeping mat. Smaller

bundles of one kilogram or less are required to make one sitting mat. The sitting or sleeping mats are lasting for periods of

between three and five years in households where they are used on regular basis. The stalk of the plant is also used for

thatching houses and cattle shed. In the study area it was observed that in the selection of plant materials, maintenance and in

the processing of the products male and female members participate simultaneously, on the other hand harvesting and

marketing were only done by the male( Fig.4e and f).

App. Sci. Report. 13 (2), 2016: 88-95

91

App. Sci. Report. 13 (2), 2016: 88-95

92

App. Sci. Report. 13 (2), 2016: 88-95

93

App. Sci. Report. 13 (2), 2016: 88-95

94

Discussion

This paper has attempted to show that handicraft work from grass Cyperusalopecuroides, is a significant component

of the livelihoods of people who live in rural areas of Bhadrak district. Generally high levels of poverty, combined with a

tendency to cling to certain aspects of past tradition, appear to maintain high notional and realized values for Cyperus

craftwork amongst rural households. The relation between plant and human societies has brought to light about several

unknown uses of plants developed through trial and error method as well as by the creative mind of the indigenous people all

over the world (Kunwar and Bussmann 2008; Albuquerque et al.2009; Dahlberg and Trygger 2009).The plant diversity and the

associated traditional knowledge has been emphasized since the Rio Convention on Biological Diversity (Convention on

Biological Diversity 1992).Odishan handicrafts are well known worldwide for their rich variety and skilled work. Some rural

people are good craftsmen and are adept in making handicrafts using locally available plant resources. Crafts associated with

Cyperusalopecuroides have generally been carried out by rural people of Bhadrak district since ancient times. The natural

distribution of santara in the rural landscape suggests that the plant has wide ecological amplitude for growing on a variety of

sites and that it has a capacity to grow in biotically disturbed sites such as canal banks that are normally used for grazing. The

studied plant for handicraft use is also reported from Ganjam district of Odisha (Misra et al. 2012).The sleeping mats prepared

from this plant is commonly called as poor man’s ‘Kambal’.Other than their usefulness in day-to-day life of each household,

the mats made from Cyperusalopecuroides seem to have a special significance during traditional ceremonies such as in Hindu

marriage and thread ceremony(Misra et al. 2012).The prices of the different products vary seasonally with size, quality and

local demand. The handicraft material made from Cyperusalopecuroides is much superior to the synthetic industrial product

widely used in modern day craft making, in terms of its malleability, texture, lusture and sponginess. It is also eco-friendly as

biodegradable and freely available from the surrounding natural habitat and moreover it provides livelihood to a sizeable

number of artisans in rural areas of Bhadrak district.

Conclusion

At the present time, the uses of handicraft materials are disappearing and have lost their necessity in our daily lives

due to development of plastic technology and polymer science. As a result, new generations of the artisan’s family are looking

for some other source of income leaving this age old practice. Moreover the skill behind this practice is in danger and there is

an urgent need of popularization as well as patronization of these craft materials by the Govt. or some NGOs to uplift the

economic condition of the artisans. It will be helpful in conservation of this unique craft for the benefit of the posterity as well

as national identity.

References Ahmad SS, Javed S. 2007.Exploring the economic value of underutilized plant species in Ayubia National Park. Pakistan Journal of Botany 39(5):1435–1442.

Albayrak M, Ozdemir M. 2012. The role of geographical indication in brand making of Turkish handicrafts. Indian Journal Traditional Knowledge 11 (3):420-

426. Albuquerque UP, Araujo TA, Ramos MA, Nascimento VT, Lucena RFP & Monteiro MJ. 2009. How ethnobotany can aid biodiversity conservation:

Reflections on investigations in the semi-arid region of NE Brazil. Biodiversity Conservation 18:127–150.

Balick MJ, Cox PA. 1996. Plants, People, and Culture: The Science of Ethnobotany. Scientific American Library, NY. Boulos L. (2005). Fl. Egypt 4: 378-380.

Cawe SG, Ntloko SST. 1997. Distribution, uses and exploitation patterns of FlagellariaguineensisSchumach with particular reference to Port St Johns, South

Africa. South African Journal of Botany 63 (4):233-238. Clarke CB.1884. On the Indian Species of Cyperus; with remarks on some others that specially illustrate the subdivisions of the genus. Journal Linn Society

Botany 21: 1-202.

Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).1992.Convention on biological diversity.United Nations.http://www. biodiv.org/convention/convention.shtml. Cunningham AB. 1987. Commercial craftwork: balancing out human needs and resources, South African Journal of Botany 53(4):259- 266.

Dahlberg AC, Trygger SB.2009. Indigenous medicine and primary health care: The importance of lay knowledge and use of medicinal plants in rural South

Africa. Human Ecology 37:79–94. Dogan Y, Nedelcheva AM, Pathovic DO, Padure IM. 2008. Plant used in traditional

Ertug F. 2006. An overview of the plaited crafts of Turkey (Anatolia and Thrace).In Ertug, F., and EgeYayınları, E. (eds.), Ethnobotany at the Junction of the

Continents and the Disciplines. Proceedings of the Fourth International Congress of Ethnobotany (ICEB 2005), Istanbul, pp. 297–306. Feinbrun-Dothan N. 1986. Fl. Palaestina 4:356-360.

Haines HH. 1925. The Botany of Bihar and Orissa. London, Adlard and Sons Ltd. and West Newman Ltd.

handicrafts in several Balkan countries. Indian Journal Traditional Knowledge 7(1):157-161. Heinsohn RD, Cunningham AB. 1991. Utilization and potential cultivation of the saltmarsh rush Juncuskraussii. South African Journal of Botany 57 (1):1-5.

Jain R, Tiwari A. 2012. An insight in to the traditional Bandhej craft of Sikar city of Rajsthan. Indian Journal Traditional Knowledge 11 (4):733-737.

Jain SK, Mudgal V. 1999. A hand book of Ethnobotany.Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, Dehra Dun. Jain SK. 1981. Glimpses of Indian Ethnobotany.Oxford & IBH, New Delhi.

John SS.2010.Traditional knowledge of folk crafts in Tamil Nadu. Indian Journal Traditional Knowledge 9 (3):443-447.

Kükenthal G.1936. Cyperaceae – Scirpoideae – Cypereae. In: Engler, A. (ed.), Pflanznreich IV. 20, 101:1-671. Kukkonen I. 1998.Cyperaceae. In: Rechinger, K. H. (ed.), Fl. Iranica 173:1-307.

Kunwar RM, Bussmann RW. 2008. Ethnobotany in the Nepal Himalaya. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 4:24.

Martin GJ. 1995. Ethnobotany.A methods manual. London: Chapman and Hall, pp: 102- 104. Misra MK, Panda A, Sahu D. 2012. Survey of useful wetland plants of south Odisha,India. Indian Journal Traditional Knowledge 11(4):658–666.

App. Sci. Report. 13 (2), 2016: 88-95

95

Mohanty RB, Tripathy BK, Panda T. 2012. Utilization of pith plant Aeschynomeneaspera (Leguminosae: Papilionoideae) by traditional florists cum craftsmen

in Jajpur District, Odisha, India. Nelumbo 54:168 - 171.

Motti R, Antignani V, Idolo M. 2009.Traditional Plant Use in the Phlegraean Fields Regional Park (Campania, Southern Italy). Human Ecology 37:775–782.

Patel NB, Sidana BS, Jain BK. 2003.Tribal artifacts of Dholwani forest of Sabarkantha (Gujarat). Ethnobotany 15:40-43. Radhakrishnan K, Pandurangan AG, Pushpan P.2000. Tribal artifacts of Kerala. Ethnobotany 12:67-71.

Sexena HO, Brahmam M. 1996. The flora of Orissa (Vol. I-IV), Orissa forest development corporation Ltd., Bhubaneswar, Orissa.

Shackleton CM, Shackleton SE. 2000. Direct use values of secondary resources harvested from communal savannas in theBushbuckridge Lowveld, South Africa. Journal of Tropical Forest Products 6(1):28-47.

Sharma TP, Borthakur SK. 2010. Traditional handloom and handicrafts of Sikkim. Indian Journal Traditional Knowledge 9(2):375-377.

Thomas E, Vandebroek I, Goetghebeur P, Sanca S, Arrázola S, Van Damme P. 2008. The relationship between plant use and plant diversity in the Bolivian Andes, with special reference to medicinal plant use. Human Ecology 36:861–879.

Tripathy BK, Panda T, Mohanty RB.2012.Traditional artifacts from ‘Bena’ grass (Vetiveriazizanioides (L.) Nash. Poaceae) in Jajpur district of Odisha, India.

Indian Journal Traditional Knowledge 13 (4):771-777.