World Bamboo Day 2024: Young Bamboo Artisans Move Away From Baskets, Switch To Innovative Items

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The younger generation of traditional bamboo artisans from Madhya Pradesh has turned their ancestral occupation into a flourishing art through innovation, creativity and experimentation.

While their ancestors only made Tokris (baskets) of various sizes and soopa (winnowing baskets), the artworks of the new generation includes, replica of Vande Bharat train, Mahakal Shivling, India’s national emblem, musical instruments, portraits, gazebo, lamp shades, furniture etc. Their handcrafted items have a market not only in India but also abroad. They have decent incomes and are giving employment to dozens of people, replacing plastic products.  

On the eve of World Bamboo Day, the Free Press talked with some bamboo artisans and most of them have been working for more than a decade.  

Excerpts :

State-awardee bamboo artisan

Dharmendra Rohar (43) from Narsinghpur belongs to the fourth generation of his family of traditional bamboo workers. About 17 years back, he shifted to Bhopal. “I realised that if I have to survive, I will have to keep up with the changing tastes,” he says. He now employs 10 women and his bamboo products include bird figurines, flower pots, lamp shades and replicas of musical instruments. He has exported his products to Australia and is a master trainer, having trained more than 1,000 persons to date. “Bamboo art won’t survive without innovation,” he says.      

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The ancestors of Kailash Verma (52) from Majhgawan, Satna were into making soopas, tokris and daliyas. Now, he has three units in Satna, Mhow and Indore and employs more than 20 persons, who get paid between Rs 15,000 and Rs 30,000 per month. He makes jewellery, furniture, gazebos, pagodas and tree houses for jungle resorts. His products are in demand in the US and Canada, besides in other states of India. “The demand for bamboo products has increased four-fold over the past 10 years,” says the master trainer who has many artisans.       

Lalit Soni (32) from Bhainsdehi in Betul district holds PG degrees in commerce and in drawing and painting and wants to do a PhD in bamboo art. He makes mugs, pen stands, water bottles, mementoes - almost everything that can replace plastic products. He had presented a bamboo replica of Vande Bharat train to PM Modi and of Mahakal Shivling to CM Mohan Yadav. His other products include India’s national emblem. “I do get enquiries from abroad but I want to enter the export market only after improving the quality of  my artworks,” he added.          

Nitesh Salwe (35) from Khandwa belongs to the fifth generation of a family of bamboo workers. He has made beautiful portraits of national leaders using bamboo fibre. Images carved on bamboo, flower pots, national flags and ‘fancy items’ are also parts of his product line. Nitesh has done a course in bamboo art from Agartala and sources bamboo from Assam, Betul and Balaghat.  He employs 20 persons and makes around Rs one lakh a month. . “Naya dikhega to bikega,” he says.