The Last Shital Pati Makers Struggle to Keep Their Centuries-Old Craft Alive

In a quiet corner of Gopalpur upazila in Tangail, the age-old craft of weaving Shital Pati—traditional cooling mats made from murta cane—is on the brink of disappearance. Once kept alive by more than a hundred families, today only the household of 85-year-old Naresh Chandra Chanda and his family continues the art. Battling old age, declining demand, and rising material costs, they weave these delicate mats out of devotion rather than livelihood. Without institutional support or new artisans to carry on the tradition, Bangladesh risks losing one of its most treasured handwoven cultural legacies.