Coir mat making is an art youngsters seldom choose to learn. But for Tanya Furtado, it is more than just a hobby. Tanya, a first year BCom student at Providence Women’s College, learnt to make coir mats during her plus one years. Once she mastered the art there was no looking back.
When we say coir mats we think of the mud-coloured thick criss-crosses that adorn our verandahs. But, Tanya’s mats are different, they are a colourful mix of oranges, yellows and greens. This unique colouring makes her mats one of a kind and the most sought-after among her classmates.
These time-consuming coir mats are first dipped in colours, dried and woven on frames. Large mats take at least three hours to complete. “I sit and work on the mats after my college hours and after studies, mostly, when I watch TV. I don’t have any unit. All the mats are made at home. My uncle also joins me at times.”
Once her friends at college started giving orders for her colourful mats, Tanya decided to experiment with them. She now makes them in all kinds of earthy hues and colourful combinations.
Tanya attributes her success to her teachers and the principal of her higher secondary school and says, “My school principal Sr Nidhisha and my teacher Mangala ma’am inspire me much. I have full support from my teachers at my college as well.”
With over two years of experience in making coir mats, Tanya now teaches mat-making. “I taught three students of St Joseph’s AIGHS, out of whom one student named Anha secured the first prize in coir mat making at the state level.”
Tanya, who resides near 6th gate, in a joint family, hails from Mangalore. “Though no one from my family has shown any inclination towards craft or coir mat making, I receive a huge support from them,” she says. Tanya’s coir mats are on sale at the Micro Small Medium Enterprises expo being held at Kandankulam Jubilee Hall.