KOCHI: When one takes a look at the beautiful handicrafts displayed at the Bamboo fest, one is taken by the creativtiy of a bunch of local artisans across India who along with ‘Urav’ initiative and the government of Kerala has taken a step in bringing back our ancestral tradition in mixture with the modern art by recreating wonders using natural products such as bamboo, jute and coconut shells. ‘Urav’ , a non-governmental organisation mainly focuses on the livelihood generation and holds various training programmes where they train the local people especially women to make different products using natural raw materials.
Bamboo Fest - 2017, a five day programme is a celebration of sustainable culture and living with nature, which is being conducted at Marine Drive by Kerala State Bamboo Mission along with Kerala Bureau of Intellectual Promotion and Government of Kerala. This mega exhibition consists of around 100 stalls and thousands of independent artists across India are part of it.
Bamboo’s natural elegance and easy availability makes it a prior choice material when it comes to handicrafts. From making buttons to baskets, from mats to musical instruments, from toys to walking sticks, bamboo is used. Apart from the age old merchandise the innovative minds have moved forward to bags, lampshades, washable murals, accessories, jewellery, decor and even vehicles. But still the industry and the craftsmen face a lot of challenges.
A vendor said, “Even though we are accepted as artists, we are not recognised enough or are not eligible for the proper remuneration and aids from the government”.The artwork based on the theme ‘five elements’-Sky, air, water, fire and earth is yet another wonder by talented artist C P Lenin, one of the major designers of the ‘Urav’ initiative. Almost all of the products exhibited are crafted by the local craftsmen from Wayanad. Apart from handcrafted materials, the fest also features food items using bamboo shoots and other natural ingredients. The food stall ‘Kudumbasree Cafe’ run by Kudumbasree self help groups, features a bunch of local recipes.
As the 13th edition of the bamboo fest is coming to a closure , these artists from all over India have opined that the human kind will have a more bright future if we love and live with nature and conserve these natural products.