SRISHTI SCHOOL OF ART, DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
FST 101 INTERIM COURSE
WAYANAD
WRITTEN BY-
AMEESHI.GOENKA
WRITTEN BY-
AMEESHI.GOENKA
My
interim course at Srishti needed me to go to Wayanad district which is on the
border of Karnataka and Kerala to understand the working of an NGO that deals
with bamboo craft, the aborigines residing there and the ecology of that
region.
ITENERARY:
DAY 1-
·
M.S. Swaminathan Foundation
·
Uravu
·
1st micro industry
·
2nd micro industry
·
Lunch at a home-stay
·
Trek to see different species of
bamboo
·
Temple
·
Uravu bamboo nursery
DAY 2-
·
1ST cluster (Neravu)
·
2nd cluster (Unarvu)
·
Lunch (Kerala thali)
·
3rd cluster (Sneha)
·
4th cluster (Soubhagya)
DAY 3-
·
Edakkal cave
·
Lunch at New Taj
·
Heritage museum
·
Waterfall
DAY 4-
·
Trekking behind M.S. Swaminathan
Foundation
·
Lunch at M.S. Swaminathan
Foundation
·
Kanavu (indigenous school)
DAY 5-
·
Uravu
·
Enroute to Bangalore
OVERVIEW:
URAVU
We went to Uravu, which is a legally constituted non-governmental organization (NGO) started by a group of people in the year 1996. Uravu seeks to achieve small scale
changes directly through projects, product orders and supporting self-help
groups. They mobilize financial resources, natural resources, other materials
and salaried personnel to create localized programs in the field. They apply to
the government and organizations for grants and contracts in order to raise
money for their projects. Uravu trains indigenous and other local men and women
in bamboo craft, and empowers them to work on their own or continue under them
after the training period. They are paid every month based on the number of
days they work. Uravu heads six clusters and renders support to several others.
These clusters are mainly self-help
groups, like Sneha, Neravu and Soubhagya, which are based in the Wayanad
district. Uravu is dependent on the government for funds and projects. Uravu
has a finance team, a designing team, marketing company and trained labourers.
The main aim of Uravu is employment generation. Uravu has its own bamboo
nursery and also has the permission to cut bamboo from different parts of
Wayanad in a sustainable manner and buy them from the Government at highly
subsidized rates. Uravu functions every day except Sundays and festival
holidays. To make a product they cut the bamboo, process it to prevent fungal
growth, dry it, cut them into required pieces and prepare reeds, then they make
the product, polish it, price them, package, and distribute them to various
places all over India according to the approved orders. To get a product made
by the clusters under them, they provide the processed bamboo, polish the end
products, price, package and then distribute them to different places. Uravu is
a trust itself and also has an Uravu marketing company linked to it to
facilitate market research and analysis, pricing, packaging, transportation and
sales. Uravu as a trust uses the subsidies provided by the Government and as separate entity
(company) helps the Government with various projects, such as the promotion of
eco-tourism. Getting a live experience of working with bamboo in a bamboo
factory was amazing, a lot of work and tiring.
CLUSTERS (SHG)
An SHG is usually composed of 10–20 local women
that make small regular savings contributions over a few months until there is
enough capital in the group to begin lending. Funds may then be lent back to
the members or to others in the village for any purpose. The clusters under
Uravu receive orders and raw materials, capital goods, training and complete
support from Uravu in every matter whereas those that are not under Uravu may
or may not receive orders from them but can ask Uravu for assistance if
necessary. The women working in the clusters work for approximately 7 to 8
hours per day, six days a week. They get holidays for festivals and one paid
holiday for Onam. Two members from each cluster attend the exhibitions that are
held all year round in different parts of India. They are paid ₹120 to ₹180 per
day, depending on the product they produce and the quantity thereof, paid every
month counting the number of days they work. Each member is required to have
mandatory health insurance through the village panchayat. The women working in
these clusters do not take any work home. None of them throw away any waste
materials because what is waste for them may be useful to another cluster.
Children of every member of the cluster are educated till 12th
standard at least. Each cluster produces only one object at a time and believes
in division and specialization of labor. The members of the cluster usually
stay near their work place.
Neravu cluster started with 20 people but now
there are only 19 working women. They use reed bamboo and elephant bamboo to
make flower vases, candle stands, frames and lamp shades. As and when they
finish the production of one order they immediately process the next order.
They are liable to Uravu for everything. Every week each member deposits ₹50
into Malabar Gramin Bank.
Unarvu cluster was started by 18 people five
years ago but now has only 12 working laborers. The women left mainly due to
dust allergies. They were free to make their own designs and implement their
own ideas in making bamboo jewellry. They use elephant bamboo for that purpose,
which they buy in bulk every month with the money they deposit in the banks
every week. Even though they are not under Uravu directly, the polishing of
their ornaments is carried out by Uravu.
Sneha SHG was started by 15 people but 5 of them
left on account of marriage. They are not directly under Uravu but receive
orders and raw materials from them. They are also free to process orders from
third parties. They mainly make utensils and photo frames. Uravu performs the
polishing of their products.
Soubhagya cluster has about 15 members working on
various objects like trays, spice boxes, bottles, wall hangings and pencil
stands. Each member deposits ₹20 every week into the Malabar Gramin Bank. It is
mandatory for them.
WATERFALL, MUSEUM AND
EDAKKAL CAVE
The Soochipara waterfall, tribal museum, and
Edakkal cave in Wayanad were amazing, however the surrounding areas could have
been maintained better. At the waterfall, we had to pay an entry fee and
digital cameras were prohibited. People were allowed to bathe in it and there
was an old security guard helping everyone. Though some of the local people
were helpful they didn’t appear that way. There was only one man made sitting
area. For some reason the trees had really smooth trunks. We were there to understand
the biodiversity of the region. We had to buy an entry ticket for Edakkal cave,
pay separately for the digital cameras and we had to pay for a sticker to stick
to our plastic water bottles which would be refunded on our way out since it
was a plastic free zone. It was a steep climb to the cave and we were not
permitted to take pictures from our cell phones. There were guards everywhere.
The cave is known for its rock-cut carvings from the Stone Age era. There was
one carving behind the stairs which was not open to public. The tribal museum
was located in the town and also required an entry ticket. It was a small
museum with ancient local artifacts and bamboo work.
TREKKING
We were taken for a short trek on the hill behind
the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation. A local scientist was our guide who
spoke only in Malayalam. The land belongs to the aborigines of that region.
They had to fight for their land but now it is legally theirs. Some of them do
not buy food from the markets, and instead dig and pluck them from the forest.
The forest is profuse with medicinal plants, different species of spiders and
lovely flowers, like the peacock flower, and pretty butterflies.
KANAVU
We also visited an unregistered indigenous school
named Kanavu which was started by Joy Mon Baby located about 20 km from
Kalpetta. The school is run by the indigenous families. They follow the gurukul
system of education. The elders teach folk music, martial arts, history and
other subjects which are learned or practiced by children and teenagers. They
go for exchange programs all over India to learn pottery, weaving, agriculture,
etc. That land was bought by Vistar in 1993 for the Adivasis of that region for
cultural and educational purposes. Vistar used to provide for their exchange
programs and other expenses but stopped doing so in 1996. The aborigines bear
their own expenses now. They perform music and dance in troupes in order to
collect money. The children there start working at an early age and hence are
exposed to alcohol at that age. They also have rehabilitation center for the
indigenous that are addicted to alcohol in order to have a better future.
ISSUES, REASONING AND
SOLUTIONS:
URAVU AND CLUSTERS
At the moment, Uravu is facing a shortage of
funds and skilled employees. Some of the women leave on account of marriage,
health reasons, family issues or they migration to the urban area. Given their
existing situation, they should first complete their pending projects and
orders, consider diversifying their product range, possibly invite educational
institutions for bamboo workshops and volunteer programs, provide better health
facilities by supplying work-suits and masks to their workers, and they could
have some women work from home, like painting on cut pieces of bamboo to make
jewellry or taking reeds from the main work place, bringing them home and
processing a small order. Uravu being an NGO should hold fundraisers in
different parts of India, in exhibitions or workshops. Bamboo craft and
furniture is the next big market after wooden craft and furniture and their
main target should be the general public. They need to get recognition by
making their products more appealing as per the latest fashion, giving them to
stores as consignments or in common exhibitions and melas, and having
interactive sessions with the people. They need to spread the word about the
usefulness of bamboo, the history of bamboo craft and its future market. Since
bamboo is a highly versatile material they should come up with innovative
ideas. The experts should do some research and see if bamboo and technology can
be linked and, for starters, they should make bamboo toys and game items. If
bamboo can be linked with technology it would take the whole industry to a
different level. Uravu should consider becoming a brand name and expanding
beyond Wayanad so as to reach people with higher income level to increase their
profits. They could cut down on their packaging expenses by hiring a kabadiwala
and getting paper from houses at the cheapest rate possible and recycling that
paper. Uravu should allow its artisans to design and make their own products
once in a while so that they take pride in what they create. If they receive
appreciation then they would feel more confident about their work. After
getting a hands-on experience of working with bamboo my idea of thinking of the
bamboo products to be over-priced has completely changed.
WATERFALL, MUSEUM AND
EDAKKAL CAVE
The waterfall did not have enough security guards
and lacked restrooms. Considering that they have space and could offer more
employment, they should make pay and use toilets near the waterfall and some
changing rooms. They must have more than a single security guard for safety
reasons as there are several unsavoury individuals attempting to swim there.
The heritage museum requires English speaking guide, and is not as appealing as
it can be. By increasing their entry ticket by ₹2 to ₹4 they could arrange for
an English speaking guide or train a local to converse in English. They could
have a souvenir store to make it more profitable. They could also make it more
appealing by improving their lighting system or having interactive sessions.
The hidden carving in the Edakkal cave should be allowed for public viewing. If
the concern is of someone damaging it then they should build an enclosure
around it or allow only one person at a time to view it. The profit margins of
these places are quite low, and may be improved by increasing the ticket
prices. Also, the tickets themselves may be made more attractive, so as to
double as a keepsake for tourists. This would also help in the word-of-mouth
promotion of these places.
TREKKING
The trek in the natural forest surrounding was
fun. Since the forest is abundant with flora and fauna, and the land belongs to
the aborigines. They have extensive knowledge of the medicinal properties of
the local flora, which they could use to make the natural medicines for
themselves and sell the excess in the market, thereby increasing the level of
income. However, they should practice sustainable cultivation of these plants
in order to ensure future availability
It was nice to see the rubber, tea and coffee
plantations and acres of paddy fields that we walked across. Pepper, there, is
a commercial spice and honey is also sold in large quantities. Banana is an
important part of the diet of people in Kerela and hence there were huge banana
plantations too. Eucalyptus and lemon grass are also available in plenty and
well commercialized.
KANAVU
Kanavu faces problems with getting students to
learn, acquiring teachers and raising funds. Since they are already performing
in troupes locally, they could expand that by going to neighbouring towns and
getting recognition. If they were registered and open to foreign companies for
grants they could approach an MNC for donations (such as KFC, which adds ₹5 to
each bill as a donation to a charitable foundation). The elders of the society
should take more serious initiatives towards the school’s growth by holding
cultural fests and motivating their students to learn, dream big and follow
their dreams. They could attract more children by providing better facilities
and making them do more innovative and creative things.
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