KOCHI: It was a long cherished dream for Bhasakaran Kaimathuruthy, to engage himself in artistic pursuits. But life got in the way. For someone who was affected with polio at the age of four, the enticing world of art was just a distant dream. And at the age of 67, he took the plunge. And for the past two years, art dominates his life, and ever since, he has been creating a plethora of art works on wood scraps. But although he was religiously devoted to turning wood into art, there was always an issue of finding a market.
Not for long. A first of its kind shop has come up in Thrissur, which is a platform for selling the products crafted by the differently-abled. The shop which has been set up by the Handicrops society in Kodungallur is arguably the first in the state to feature the products made solely by the differently-abled.
“Our public spaces are not at all accessible to the differently-abled. And for them, the main challenge is all about having a regular income. And since venturing out is difficult with places remaining inaccessible, the differently-abled gets confined to their homes. There are many who have been creating a lot of products in the confines of their homes. With the shop, we are trying to develop a platform where the differently-abled can sell their products,” says Sooraj Kodungallur, Handicrops MD and secretary of the society in Kodungallur.
With the launch of the shop on Monday at Kara Beach area in Kodungallur, Thrissur, people like Bhaskaran have a strong chance of getting their wares into the market. But the journey has been difficult. “Getting a space was very difficult. There is not much governmental help. The Kodungallur municipality could have helped us. There’s three per cent quota for the differently-abled to set up shops under local bodies. But they didn’t lift a finger.
Our requests fell on deaf ears. We had to rent out space from a private party, and that too at a remote location. If it the shop was inside the town, it would have got more visitors. Also it wouldn’t take a toll on the differently-abled who are now finding it hard to reach there,” he says.
The Handicrops society in Kodungallur has more than 20 differently-abled people attached to it. A variety of products ranging from handicrafts, ornaments, stationery made out of paper, and other essential commodities fashioned out by the differently-abled are put for sale here. There are talks to set up more of such shops in the state. “We hope to open one in Ottappalam and Thiruvananthapuram soon,” says Sooraj. “Selling my artworks have always been a problem. Now I get a shop to sell it, and I hope I can make more products,” says Bhaskaran, hopeful of making it big with his creativity.