Pride of Barak Valley: Nirmal Dey of Cachar selected for Assam’s Highest Civilian Award

HAILAKANDI,8 FEBRUARY:

The Assam state government has already announced the highest civilian awards of Assam Bhairab, Assam Gaurav, and Assam Saurabh for the year 2023.

A total of 22 distinguished individuals will receive these awards from the Vice-President and Governor of Assam on February 10th.

Among the recipients, the only face of Barak Valley is Nirmal Dey, a well-known Sitol Pati Shilpi or carpet artist. The 60-year-old Nirmal Dey will be honored with the prestigious “Assam Gaurav” Award by the state government this year.

Nirmal Dey, along with his wife Rajlakshmi Dey, resides in a humble mud house in the village of Chipitabichia under the Cachar District.

Their family comprises just the two of them. Rajlakshmi and Nirmal have been sustaining this Pati industry for several years now.

Despite limited earnings, the family is still running this small entrepreneurship from their mud house in the Chipitabichia village.

In a conversation, Nirmal Dey shared that he learned the art of weaving Pat silk from his late father Gopal Chandra Dey at the tender age of 12. Since then, he has been practicing this craft diligently for the past 48 years.

He also mentioned that it is hard to believe that he will receive the highest civilian honor in the state. He is also pondering over what attire he will wear while accepting the award at Raj Bhavan on February 10th.

He also gets emotional, saying that it is the blessing of Lord Shiva that he has been selected to receive the Assam Gaurav award.

Reflecting on their life struggles, Nirmal shares that a few years ago, after the sudden demise of their only daughter Mridula De, they had lost the desire to live. It was his wife Rajlakshmi who inspired them to continue living.

Drawing inspiration from her, they have been weaving Pat silk, manufacturing Pati fabric, and selling them in various markets in Barak Valley and outside.

Life was going on as usual. They never thought that their work would be recognized at the state level.

The Assam Gaurav winner from Barak Valley also shares that they will use the three lakh rupees from the award to build their house.

Sitting in a corner, wife Rajlakshmi shares that there is no poverty or crime in their village of Chipitabichia. Everyone is self-reliant, earning their livelihood through weaving Pati silk.

If they receive more government support and facilities, the Pati silk industry will become even more popular in their area