When the cyclone made landfall on the morning of May 3, front doors of houses could not withstand the ferocity of the wind and the entire body of work was exposed to the lashing rain.

Raghurajpur which has been identified as a heritage village because of the traditional works ranging from Pattachitra to paper mask and wooden carvings to dolls. The village, which usually witnesses an overflow of tourists who queue up to buy the artwork, has not seen a single tourist since the day Fani struck.

Artisans said they found themselves helpless before the intensity of the storm. Instead of shifting the ‘Pattachitra’s to a safer place, their priority was to save their own lives.

One rain-defaced 5ft x 3ft sized Pattachitra, a traditional cloth-based scroll painting, which narrated the Krishna Leela while another told the story of Ganesha. A six- month time invested on these Pattachitra which could have fetched the artisans more than ₹20,000 each, got damaged. As one of the artisans showed more spoiled artworks, his father’s face looked emotionless. To recreate these artworks, motivation, time and funds are required.

 Almost everyone in the village with 140 families of artists have different stories to tell.

 The input costs are likely to jump. Palm trees have been damaged severely and those who supply palm leaves will now charge double the price. Similarly, it would be difficult to find traditional adhesives too.