Hemoprova Chutia
A Dibrugarh weaver who has woven entire holy books, including the Bhagavad Gita, into long lengths of silk cloth, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2023.
Hemoprova Chutia is a handloom weaver from Assam with a style all her own: she weaves the complete text of books into cloth. She was named for the Padma Shri in 2023 in the field of art, from Assam [1].
Early life
Chutia was born on 22 September 1955 in Photikachowa Abhoypuria village in Dibrugarh district [2]. Her father was a primary school teacher, and she studied up to matriculation [2].
Books on the loom
On her loom she has woven the full text of four works, each into its own cloth, a form known in Assamese as a barnabastra [2]. Srimanta Sankardeva’s Gunamala, in Assamese, runs to 80 feet in muga silk with black wool [2]. Madhavdeva’s Namghosa, also in Assamese, is woven in muga silk and black wool and stretches to 200 feet [2].
She has woven the Bhagavad Gita twice, in muga silk with green wool: once in Sanskrit, on a cloth 150 feet long, and once in English, on a cloth of 280 feet [2].
Recognition
In 2022 the Assam government gave her the Assam Gaurav, one of the state’s highest civilian honours [2]. She has also received the Prag Prerona award in 2020 and honours from cultural and community groups across the state [2].
Sources
- [1] Padma Awards 2023: list of awardees — Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Accessed 21 October 2026.
- [2] Padma Awards 2023: citation for Hemoprova Chutia — Padma Awards, Government of India. Accessed 21 October 2026.
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