For Jhalakathi's Patigar community, weaving soft and cool shitalpati mats from stalks of the murta, a reed-like plant locally called paitara, is far more than a job: it's an ancient heritage.

THEY ARE NOT dream weavers, but residents of two islands hundreds of kilometers apart, weave sleeping mats on which people may experience wonderful dreams. This is because the islands—Anda in ...