Our trip to Wayanad

Our trip to Wayanad 

 Written by: Jishnav Iyer

As part of our environmental exposure course we went on a study tour to Uravu in Wayanad district, Kerala to look at the working of an NGO. We were thirteen students accompanied by two facilitators, Narendra and Aditi. I am a reluctant traveller by nature and my stomach was knotted with anxiety as the date of our trip came closer. It didn’t turn out that bad, though. I actually managed to enjoy myself and make some good friends. I just had to hold my breath every morning before pouring ice cold water on me.

We left from Bangalore at around 6:30 and we reached Kalpetta at 5:00-5:30 in the morning. It was cold and we made our way to M S Swaminathan Research Foundation where we were staying at the Arani Community Training Centre.

After breakfast, we left for Thrikkaipetta village. There were a lot of betel nut trees, banana trees and coconut trees, as well as a tea plantation. Many of the houses shared a unique railing on the balcony walls and veranda walls and had slanted roofs of red bricks.

Mr.  Surendranath C, the President of Uravu greeted us at the Common Facilities Centre and gave us an introduction to Uravu.

It is a non-profit, non-government organisation which began in 1996 as a collection of friends. Their objective was to improve the socio-economic status of women, artisans and the aboriginal people by giving them control over the local natural resources and skills. Uravu chose to work in Wayanad as it was and still is a very backward area. At the time, a pulp mill ( Grasim Industries, Mavoor) had monopoly over bamboo and used up all the forest bamboo. The bamboo artisans were moving away from their traditional handicrafts.                                                                                                               Uravu started by providing skills and training to the artisans. Even now, every time a new product is introduced in one of the producing units, depending on the product, training is given for one or two weeks. This I feel is very crucial for keeping the artisans in pace with the changes. Also, the well experienced workers go to the other units to train other artisans. The next step was to organise them into micro-enterprises, and make the market available to them. After forming the micro-enterprises, they make the artisans there self sufficient and then step out from there.  They basically ensure the artisans availability of raw material and a market for their products. They also provide special training for disadvantaged people. Though it is a non-governmental organisation, Uravu procures government funds and bank loans. Now days, venture capital and other financial sources are available to them.

Uravu decided to work with bamboo as it is locally available all over Wayanad and it is eco-friendly. The idea was to use local resources in empowering the people as this would decrease the transportation cost. Uravu has its own bamboo nursery and a large piece of land where they do bamboo cultivation. Bamboo grows fast and it can be used in a variety of ways. Uravu  makes lanterns, cake boxes, candle holders, trays, masks, pens, hangers, furniture and many other things with bamboo. Uravu also plans to work with jack fruit which grows widely in Kerala. A large portion of land comes under the jurisdiction of the aboriginal community where a lot of medicinal plants such as vellila, lemon grass and a plant used to cure arthritis grow in the wild. We saw a small unit where people were making lemon grass oil. However, there are people setting up plantations in these areas. There are tea, coffee, banana and betel nut plantations all over Wayanad. This kind of commercial production has encroached on the traditional small scale local production of handicrafts which has led to unemployment.

On our second day we visited four of the micro-enterprises and saw how a craft community functions as an economic model. Then we visited three tourism spots, the Edakkal caves, the Wayanad Tribal Museum, and the Soochipara waterfall. On our fourth day we went for a trek in the morning and then visited Kanavu, a tribal school, and on our last day we had hands-on minds-on experience working with bamboo.

Before leaving for Kerala, we had studied some companies such as Anokhi, Fab India and Rain Tree, so I could compare their models. Unlike some big companies like Fab India, Uravu has focused only on Wayanad. Fab India, for example procures their products from artisans all over India, including Delhi and Kandahar. The artisans get paid daily and monthly wages and they work collectively like in the clusters of Uravu. In Uravu, there are also some people who work from home and sell to Uravu. Fab India has its head office and warehousein Delhi. The designs are given from the head office, which the artisans produce, and the material is then taken to the warehouse. In this system, the producing units work under the main office, and it also ensures that the designs are sensible to contemporary market trends. Unlike in Uravu, focus is given less on making the producing units independent and self sufficient, and more on marketing and profit, thus the units are dependent on Fab India for their livelihood. In the micro-enterprises we visited, we found that the number of workers had depleted over time. Some of them dropped out when they got married and stopped working outside the house, while others left due to dust allergies, for which now they are provided with masks and goggles. The work timings in the units don’t exceed 5:30pm, which gives them ample time to spend with their family, which is probably an important part of why their families allow them to work. The artisans there told us that if their salaries went unacceptably low, they asked for an increase, and Uravu generally agreed. This might be one of the strategies to stop people from leaving. However, the salaries are generally just Rs 125 to 180 per day. In order to manage their finance the members save money and put Rs 50 per week or Rs100 per month, depending on which cluster they belong to, in the South Malabar Gramine Bank. They borrow money from this central financial pool for their personal needs, and they do not need collateral.

When we asked them if they make things on their own in their free time, they said that by the time they finished one order, another order comes, so they don’t get to experiment, which also means that there is never a lull in activities unlike in agriculture. Uravu makes sure that material is not wasted and the waste that is not being used by one unit is taken to another unit where it can be used. Since it is not producing in a large scale, even a little wastage can be very damaging. In Urvara designs, a small bag shop, they initially made bags completely of bamboo, but since it was not cost effective, they had to switch to jute bags with portions made of bamboo. In Soubhagya cluster, they have a weekly meeting on Saturdays called Kudumbasree, where they discuss the products, their work, finances and family issues. In Unarvu, where the artisans made ornaments, the designs painted on the bead’s surface were their own. They took inspiration from magazines and television. This is a good idea as this makes them artists as well as designers, giving them a sense of pride and a way to channel their creative needs. They told us that they are proud that people in the cities wear ornaments made by them. However, many of the designs are not in tune with the contemporary market trends.

Along the long path leading to the Edakkal caves, there are markets lined up where they sell refreshments, thus it has provided job opportunities to many people. The entrance fee that is collected outside is used up in the maintenance. However, in Soochipara waterfall, the aboriginal people have some claim over the fee as they help in maintaining the area. When we went to the waterfall, two guards stopped some people who were misbehaving with us, helped us cross over the slippery rocks towards the waterfall and walked us back to our cars as well. They had no such obligation to care, but they were very kind and clearly took pride in their work. The waterfall was extremely beautiful, and making our way to the back of the waterfall was a most eye opening experience for me.

We went to Kanavu, a school for the aboriginal people started by K J Baby in 1993. Vista organisation had given them land. The school followed the gurukul system and did not follow a regular syllabus. It gave stress to practical education, and activities like dance, martial arts, music, films, etc. In 1996 however, Vista stopped funding them, so they formed groups and started performing in different places to earn money. There was a financial crisis and people got married and moved away. Alcoholism is on the rise. They are not getting government support as the school is not registered. Now they are trying to get it registered with the government.

On our last day, we got to work with bamboo. I made a small table with three crossing legs. I enjoyed pealing the skin and polishing the bamboo, obsessively trying to achieve perfection. My idea was to design a furniture piece that was simple and aesthetic. The artisans there sincerely helped us with no sign of impatience, and I am thankful to them. After interacting with the aboriginal community, I realized that they are not very different from us. The only major difference seems to be in the economy. On our last day I saw the workers at the Common Facilities Centre leave for the day. They did not seem very different from the people in the towns. Part of it I think was because of the confidence and self assured manner in which they carried themselves. Unlike the dull clothes we imagine them to be in, they were all dressed in beautiful sarees, carrying neat shoulder bags. I feel Uravu is doing a great job in empowering these people.

Suggestions

1.     The Wayanad Tribal Museum did not catch my attention and I feel this can be improved. I am not sure if improving on the presentation of the artefacts will attract tourists either.

However, if the tribal museum was one part of a bigger museum people might find it more intriguing. Then they might want to compare and contrast the rest of the museum with the works of the aboriginals.

Also, the tribal museum could be a part of a larger presentation of native work. Shops selling bamboo products that attract tourists could be set up in the space around the museum. Here bamboo products like glasses, ornaments and cake boxes which are cheap, utilitarian and have an aesthetic value at the same time can be sold. Also there should be a guide who speaks in English and more information should be given on each artefact if it’s available.

2.     Uravu can look at the potential of banana leaf products as well. Boxes, baskets, vases, etc. can be made of banana fibre, and since banana trees grow abundantly in Wayanad, it can fit in with Uravu’s overall scheme of using locally available natural resources for community upliftment. It can also be combined with bamboo in the way bamboo is combined with jute in Urvara designs.  In Vanuatu, a nation island next to Australia, vegetables like potatoes are bagged in simple banana leaf bags made in a criss-cross manner. Depending on the cost of producing such bags and their effectiveness they can be either sold to other vegetable markets in substitute to plastic and paper bags, or can be simply used to package Uravu products to give it a sort of branding that projects its support for eco-friendly products. Bags can also be made for direct sale in the market. Object Havoc Ltd, for example, produces Banana Leaf Bags in which the leafs are laminated to fabric for flexibility and strength, and it is designed to expand for shopping and flatten to store.

3.     People now days tend to think of the aboriginal people as being primitive and alien from the rest of the world. Nowhere is this more evident than in www.kerelatourism.org which says that the aboriginal people are “physically distinguishable with darker skin and stout built physique. They often live in houses made of thatched roof, mud, bamboo and brick houses set in swampy valleys and plateaus.”

As designers we can change this view of the aboriginals through blogs, exhibitions, even books etc. reciting our experiences. Also the right kind of photos can make a lot of difference. As designers we should take pictures that show the aboriginal people the way they really are. Merchandise such as T-shirts can also promote a certain image of the indigenous people.

4.     In order to get more ideas for their product designs, Uravu should have students from design colleges come in for around a week every year and have workshops with the artisans here. In such a system knowledge would be imparted both ways. Uravu will not pay the designers. Their payment will be in the form of the experience imparted or in the form of accommodation provided during the short stay. This should happen every year because market trends are changing fast. It does not mean that every year a new set of products will be introduced, but it will give them time to experiment with the new designs while the previous designs are still in the market.

Some questions left

1.     If Uravu gets hold of sufficient finance, and it has achieved its objective of uplifting the community, will it be willing to expand its markets on the scale of Fab India, and other brands?

2.     If Self Help Groups are organised among the women in and around Kanavu, how much money will they be able to collect in how much time? Can this be used in the form of finance for the school? Will they then be able to continue the way they did, with the ex-students becoming the teachers?

In Ujide, Mangalore, there is an NGO called SELCO which has a program where in order to get the students to attend school, they put solar panels on the school and give small solar lanterns to the students. The students come to school and get the lanterns charged for the evening. This kind of a system can be introduced here. The payment for the equipment can be made over a time span of twenty years or so.

I believe that the education system in Kanavu is a great one and can reduce the possibility of alcoholism among children and result in good natured human beings who are academically intelligent as well as morally and spiritually intelligent.