Vast green fields, women with pointy hats plucking fresh tea leaves & dropping them into the bamboo buckets that are tied to their backs, rhinos, and elephants appear on the portraits of our thoughts whenever we think about – Assam. But there’s a lesser-known think that has been silently bolstering the state’s economy from ages other than tea that we tend to miss always. That special thing is – Assam’s bamboo and cane crafting.
Assamese, however, don’t see Bamboos and canes as a mere crafting material. They always had a deep connection with these pieces of wood. A connection, so deep that you might not notice all of sudden on your first visit to the state. But once your intellect connects the dots, you will figure that bamboos and canes make the most of Assam and the lives of people here. From their huts to their storage utensils, from their house furniture to cooking objects, these are everywhere.
While bamboo and canes are basic necessities and a common utilization thing in Assam, objects crafted from them are often seen as things to flaunt or decorate in other parts of not only India but also the world. Decorative crafted right from a fresh bamboo are embellishing countless walls and showcases from middle to upper-class household in India.
Bamboos contribute to Assam’s economy as greatly as the tea businesses do because of the vast availability of it in the forests enables the local to procure it at dirt-cheap cost and sell to a variety of locations with a massive amount of profits. Once cutting the raw plants, the bamboo craftsmen in Assam turn them in pieces of art essentially with some everyday utilization value in a variety of shapes and sizes.
Brooms, buckets, beer mugs, tables, chairs, fruit holders, lamps, vegetable cutting boards, chopsticks, wall-mounted cuckoo watches, wristwatches, mattresses, flower pots, kitchen utensils, decorative, masks, wheat separators, pencil box, and toys are some of the most prevailing examples of the bamboo crafts that help craftsmen make a living out of their creativity. Fishing apparatus like khaloi, juluki, and jakoi, and musical instruments such as flutes, drums, and sitaar are other bamboo and cane crafts that comparatively have a high selling ratio.
In earlier times, the men of Assam carried out crafting as a part-time activity. But recently, due to the immense demand for bamboo products all over India and the world, and encouragement from the government, numerous full-time artisans have stepped in the bamboo craft business.
Image Credits: Google Images
