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For Sumitra, AB from Meenangadi, Wayanad, Kerala, making bamboo items is more than a source of income. It is a means for survival as she is a patient of sickle cell Anaemia (SCA). And the money earned from these products aid her medical treatment. Hence, when she got a chance to participate in the skill improvement workshop by the Centre of Excellence (CoE) which is a joint initiative of the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) and the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA), she got excited.

Sumitra, (45) stays with her old parents and an elder brother in Meenangadi, Wayanad. She is a single woman and pays for her own expenses. “My brother works as a helper in a local ayurvedic shop. I do not want to burden him and therefore I work to take care of myself,” she says.

She has been making bamboo handicraft products for the past 15 years. “My ancestors were skilled in these items and the entire village people would come to our house to learn from them,” says she. “Even I learned this art from my family and have continued the tradition,” she says.

However, this was not a profitable means of livelihood and she did not pursue it further. But a local NGO got in touch with her and other tribal in the area in 2005. And trained them to make different products than the one they are making.

This gave her the confidence to pursue art and make new items. Since then she works for the NGO and earns Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000 per month. “The products are made to order and we are paid accordingly. There are times when there are no orders and we do not earn anything that month,” she says. She also participates in exhibitions by MoTA, and local events to sell the products. “But the money earned in these exhibitions depends on the visitors’ wishes. Most of them prefer inexpensive plastic items without thinking about their environmental impact,” she says. However, her ailment has made it necessary for her to earn a regular income every month. Hence, she was thrilled on being chosen by ASSOCHAM to participate in the skill improvement training for the tribal artisan workshop recently.

“We are being trained to make new products which can be sold in the market. I hope this will help me earn more and take care of my medicines,” she says.

As she comes from a family of teachers, she also wants to share her craft with other people in the village. “After the workshop is over I will go and teach it to others in my village. It will help us all to lead a better life,” she concludes.