By Pujanee Galappaththi and Dinithi Gunasekera   Marking the end of a tedious year is the season to be jolly, and this year, perhaps to make up for many downturns the country faced as a whole, Sri Lanka’s “State Christmas Festival” comes with a twist.  This year’s state-sponsored Christmas celebration will take a unique direction, as declared by the State Ministry for Batik, Handloom Fabrics, and Local Apparel Products, with a Christmas mass which is to be decorated using batik, handloom, and local crafts.  We spoke to State Minister Dayasiri Jayasekara on how everything was put in place.  According to Jayasekara, the Ministry was in close contact with Archbishop of Colombo Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith while arriving at this decision to produce the attire for the festival for him and the 15 bishops in every district.  Jayasekara added that this decision highlights the cultural integrity of Sri Lanka.   He said that following discussions with the Archbishop, he approached the Bishops’ Conference and explained the cultural significance and sustainability of using batik and handloom during this year’s Christmas celebration.  He said that having understood how important this is to Sri Lanka’s local industries and the cultural identity of Sri Lanka, the bishops were on board.  “For so many years, the attire for the State Christmas Festival was done utilising imported fabrics and imported clothes. This is the first time we are using locally manufactured handloom and batik fabrics.  [caption id="attachment_109823" align="alignleft" width="300"] State Minister Dayasiri jayasekara(Center) inspecting the handcrafted material being used to stitch the liturgical costumes for the state Christmas Festival[/caption] “Everything is handled by the Ministry. Besides the attire for the bishops, the décor for the main mass held at St. Sebastian’s Church, Kandana will also be made out of batik. This is the first time we are trying this kind of thing with locally manufactured products. I believe it is a big step for the local fabric industries,” he added.  We asked Jayasekera how the attire will be made, to which he responded: “The Ministry has assigned this job to the handloom weavers and batik creators of the Western and Southern Provinces of the country, and the designing and production processes will be closely overlooked by the Ministry.”  Jayasekera further added that the costumes of the carol singers at the main mass will exclusively be created by batik as well. 

Not a standalone occurrence 

In correspondence with State Ministry Consultant Sanjeewa Dharmawardhana, The Sunday Morning obtained deeper insight into this project.  “Textile is an industry that can be connected to any event in Sri Lanka. The Ministry responsible for textile is thereby supposed to be one of the strongest ministries in the country. Unfortunately, the case seems to be that textile is classified under state ministries,” said Dharmawardhana, stressing on the important role of the textile industry as a key player in Sri Lanka’s economy.  The reason why Dharmawardhana, as the Chair Co-ordinator of the project, initially came up with the plan to add Lankan batiks and handlooms into the mix this season, was to encourage the idea of locality and “our-ness”, he shared.  According to him, the state-sponsored Christmas celebration is not a standalone event in the project. Rather, it is part of a string of events, which started with a grand ceremony for “Katina” in August, and additional ceremonies in September, October, and on 8 November. This was supposedly the first national “Katina” festival in the country following the reign of King Parakramabahu II. From this event, the attention of the Ministry was directed to the Buddhist monks in the country.  According to Dharmawardhana, 40,000 Buddhist monk robes are used in the country per annum, all of which have been imported from Thailand or China over the last 20-30 years. From 1 January 2021 onwards, the Ministry pledges to produce these robes locally, he said.   “The majority of Sri Lankans hardly ever follow the fashion trends extended by Sri Lankan philanthropists, be it actors and actresses or singers. Even for the social media influencers in the country, excluding the Colombo metropolitan population, there is only a limited crowd they can impact and influence,” he explained.  “Our people follow political and religious leaders. If President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declares something, the people take it very seriously. It is the same case for any statements made by the Cardinal as well. So, I thought, this would be the best avenue through which to encourage the textile industry.”  Lonali Rodrigo from House of Lonali, commenting as a professional from the fabric and fashion industry on the initiative for the season, shared: “My personal view is that in the short term, this is a great approach to put a spotlight on the local fabric industries. Usually, when it comes to batik and handloom, we only think of the saree and sarong. This new angle of utilising these fabrics gives new scope to the industry.  “However, I am not sure if this will have much of an impact in the long term. In order to support the growth of a craft, the artisans need to be nurtured. It is necessary to devise or implement new strategies and technologies to improve the craft. Without that, I do not think there will be any growth in the industries.” 

All liturgical attire imported in the past 

With regard to the upcoming Christmas event, Dharmawardhana acknowledged that the leaders of the Christian faith including Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, had worn liturgical attire imported from Italy over the last 15 years.  [caption id="attachment_109822" align="alignleft" width="300"] State Minister Dayasiri Jayasekara (left) handing over the locally handcrafted material to a nun at St. Anthony's Convent[/caption] “For the first time in the history of Sri Lanka, all the religious leaders, including the Archbishop, the bishops, and fathers, will be clad in locally produced, 100% handcrafted attire with the standard colours of white, rose, red, green, purple, and gold as per the Christian calendar. This signifies the importance of the event,” he stated.     “On 24 December, the Christmas mass will be telecast via leading Sri Lankan channels and there would be two English masses, a Sinhala mass, and a Tamil mass. The premises would be decorated using locally produced handloom and batik decorations. On the day of the celebration, all 15 bishops would be clad in 100% Sri Lankan attire. Thereby, the entire event would be ‘Made in Sri Lanka’ – a concept that is currently almost alien to the general population of Sri Lanka.   “We are handling the tasks directly through the Ministry whilst some of the suppliers are also doing it for us voluntarily. Apart from 5-10 large-scale producers and suppliers, others in the batik industry are self-employed, small-scale businesses, and daily wage earners,” explained Dharmawardhana.   He explained that as the tourism industry is currently facing a rough patch due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Sri Lankan economy is undergoing severe losses, and this includes the local batik and handloom industries as well.    “There is also a relatively small local market for batik and handloom, as they are relatively expensive. With the current economic situation, these crafters are facing severe hardship at the moment.  “The high import numbers of Sri Lanka are a result of its low cost. Whatever we produce locally is more expensive than imported goods. Bringing down the prices of these locally manufactured products by encouraging increased production is one of our points of interest,” Dharmawardhana expressed.  “We believe that Sri Lankan batik is unique, and extends to different styles and techniques used. What we hope to encourage is specifically Sri Lankan batik and not Indonesian or Indian batik. So, we are trying to support our small-scale local producers, as we currently do not have an export market for these products at the moment.

An opportune time

“Disasters should always be viewed as an opportunity. What we have to understand is that the imports are currently restricted and we also do not have the money to continue to import goods. This is a golden opportunity to finally work towards getting back on track with a self-sustaining economy. This event is symbolic of trying to boost this idea,” he said.   The Ministry has also planned, from 1 January 2021, the ambitious production of 100% locally produced national flags, Buddhist flags, and Catholic flags, which were being imported over the past years. On 4 February 2021, Sri Lanka will be launching a 100% Sri Lankan-made flag for the first time post-Independence.  The long-term goal is to make things that we can make right here in the country, Dharmawardhana said, adding that they are not against imports and neither are they restricting them.  “What we have to import, is what we cannot produce. And Sri Lanka, being a perfectly capable country, should not resort to imports so often.  “For the past 70 years, we have had more tax on local goods than imports, and at least from our side of the industry, we hope to change that. That is the vision of the Minister and the Ministry. We have to hype the concept of ‘our-ness’, at least in our textile industry, which is renowned worldwide,” Dharmawardhana said in his concluding remarks.