Network partners visit Elavupalam artisans |
In the days of traditional farming, prior to the arrival of plastic products, these bamboo products were in great demand.
Within a society where caste status was determined by occupational divisions, those who practiced this craft became categorized as Dalits. Over the years, they have been bearing the brunt of caste discrimination, unbridled modernization, market driven policies and the much touted green revolution, which resulted in an agrarian crisis.
And so, we listen as the Elavupalam villagers share the stories of their struggle to survive.
Each family lives on 405 to 607 square meters of land close to the forest, which was given to their grand-parents years back by the government. But overtime this land became further divided among children and grand children for them to live on.
Stacks of baskets |
Today, the community of Elavupalam is desperate for more living space because the land does not suffice anymore for all to have their home. Many have been forced to live in a segregated Dalit ghetto, where 200 adults have sought shelter, half of whom are living solely on the earnings from their bamboo craft.
The bamboo workers recall how, during one particular season of the year, the fishing industry has a great demand for their baskets. As this period fetches them an amount equivalent to only about 100 days of work, the artisans try to find an income by working as laborers in the field for the remaining days of the year. But because agriculture is no longer a sustainable livelihood option, farmers are increasingly turning away from it, making it difficult for Dalits to find work in this sector.
Strong enough to meet your weight |
In the name of forest conservation, the Government has denied the artisans ready access to the bamboo which grows abundantly in the forest. Even if forest officials granted them permits, the loads of bamboo have to be carried over great distances at an exorbitant cost. As a result their final products cannot compete in the market, where their profit margin is reduced to a minimum. Ironically, the same bamboo is sold by the Government to paper and other industries at a much lower price .
The educational system has been structured in such a manner that it caters to the higher caste and class groups. As Dalits lose their Scheduled Caste (Dalit) status when they convert to Christian faith, they are unable to take advantage of the affirmative action programs of the government and associated privileges. To make things worse, they suffer caste discrimination within the church, which preaches to them a “pie in the sky” theology.
“Our parents sent us to schools hoping that it would better our situation, but we had to drop out as we could not cope up with its demands. Today we also send our children to schools and for higher education. But it puts them in an even worse situation as they become neither fit to pursue bamboo craft as a livelihood option nor able to benefit from the emerging job opportunities.”
- A village elder from Elavupalam |
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Electrical Bamboo lantarn |
The Bamboo Development Corporation was created by the government for the benefit of the bamboo workers. But rather than benefitting the artisans, the Corporation has become a white elephant that benefits the bureaucratic establishment instead. In fact, for the artisans it has become a stumbling block towards any initiative that could economically empower them. In the wake of neo-liberal economic policies, "the Bamboo Mission", a new policy initiative by the Government to industrialize bamboo has even more weakened the hold of the traditional workers over the production of bamboo crafts.
The story of the Elavupalam bamboo workers is not an isolated one. In fact, it represents the experiences of rural artisans all over Indian, who are categorized as Dalits and comprise 7.5 million of India's 1 billion people, i.e. 7.5% of the total population. These rural artisans engage in trades such as tanning and leatherwork, pottery, handloom weaving, as well as bamboo and cane crafts.
The newly elected Indian Government is unabashedly in favor of strategic partnership with the US. It is bound to further free market economic policies, invite Foreign Direct Investment in agriculture, retail industry, banking and media sectors, and give free reign to Trans-national corporations like Monsanto,Wal-Mart and the News Corporation.
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What does this mean for the plight of the Dalit artisans?
Dalit artisans ar unable to compete with government sponsored bamboo industries |
The US media corporations and their counter parts in India will make sure that they manufacture for you many success stories of economic and social development in the region. But much of it will be far from the truth, carefully constructed to gloss over the specter that is haunting marginalized communities such as the bamboo workers.
it is in this difficult context that Chethana and its partner organization HUMUS attempts to create alternative possibilities for the traditional bamboo workers in the state of Kerala. The organization focuses on product diversification and upgradation, and the use of sustainable technologies in this field. HUMUS is working on new systems of production, marketing and organization of labor, and it hope to establish a partnership with Partners for Just Trade. They have trained about 10 young women from the village in the use of technology and new designs in the production of Bamboo crafts.
“In history as in nature, decay is the laboratory of life.”
- Karl Marx |
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HUMUS is not an abbreviation. Rather, it refers to what it literally means - decomposed plant and animal waste which improves the water retaining properties of the soil, adds nutrients and makes the soil more organic. In a context where life is decaying, the organization works towards nourishing people with hope so that life may emerge out of that decay. |
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