FIELD TRIP DIARY REPORT

SRISHTI SCHOOL OF ART, DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

FST 101    INTERIM COURSE

WAYANAD

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

·       1^st micro industry

·       2^nd micro industry

·       Lunch at a home-stay

·       Trek to see different species of bamboo

·       Temple

·       Uravu bamboo nursery

DAY 2-

·       1^ST cluster (Neravu)

·       2^nd cluster (Unarvu)

·       Lunch (Kerala thali)

·       3^rd cluster (Sneha)

·       4^th 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 12^th 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.