The year was 1999. When the super cyclone hit coastal Odisha, bringing mind-numbing death and destruction in its wake, the women of the worst-affected Ersama and Balikuda blocks in Jagatsinghpur district decided to get back on their feet by doing what they knew best – weaving beautiful artefacts from kaincha, the local wild grass. Menaka Barik, 53, lost nearly everything in the cyclone but, today, she is proud that she has managed to rebuild her life through her excellent crafting skills as well as the Self Help Group (SHG) federation she is a part of.
A tidy monthly income of around Rs 2,500 over the last few years has enabled her to get many things done. “I have been weaving handicraft items made from kaincha for the last 15 years and with the money I have earned over time I been able to educate my children, open an account in the local post office and buy gold ornaments for my daughters. This work is tough but it gives me immense satisfaction and respect within the family,” she says.
The women and girls of Jagatsinghpur’s Thailo village are well-known in the region for their amazing handicrafts. Kaincha grows in plenty in the periphery of the village and it’s strong enough to hold things. It was in the year 2000 that 22 women from Thailo first got together to form an SHG with the support of Unnayan, a Bhubaneswar-based development organisation that works to empower marginalised communities with employable skills. It brought in designers and entrepreneurship experts to train the women in ways to convert their talent into a profitable venture.
Although the process of making the handicraft products is strenuous, the women are thrilled to get an opportunity to gain financial independence. The SHG members go out in groups and often have to wade through neck-deep water to reach areas where this grass flourishes. Once back, the collected stalks are carefully splintered into two pliable strips and left to dry out under the sun. In a single trip, the women manage to get anywhere between 5 and 15 kg of grass. Once the federation, which is currently being run from a small rented room in the village, gives them an order, they get down to making the products.
According to Reeta Parida, secretary of Janani, an organisation that has 500 members spread over 9 villages in Balikuda block, “The golden grass handicraft has not just empowered our women, it has made them famous, too. These days nearly every home has at least one artisan linked to our network. From stationery items like files, trays, pencil cases, book stands and notebook covers to interior decoration and other stuff like lamp shades, window screens, dining table accessories, boxes, bags, hand fans and baskets, these women can make anything out of the sturdy grass. These have become immensely popular across different cities in India and even abroad.”
Rashmi Mohanty, chief functionary of Unnayan, which has been regularly promoting and marketing the products since 2007, agrees: “This handicraft is well received even by foreign buyers, especially in countries like Japan. The demand is only growing, but then so are the challenges, one that is really beyond the control of the women.”
Dependence on the environment
Rashmi is not wrong. Whereas they have successfully managed to overcome the nightmarish situation brought on by the cyclone, and, today, have even managed to create a federation that enables them to market their wares and earn better, the vagaries of nature are once again starting to threaten their way of life. Inclement weather conditions, brought on by climate change, have severely affected the growth and availability of kaincha, forcing women to scale down their work.
“We collect the grass from low-lying marshy areas after the first monsoon rains in the months of July, August and September. However, for the last 3 years, the insufficient rainfall or freak flooding have severely impacted its growth. This year, it’s been unbearably hot, which has also affected the collections. It’s extremely worrying, because it means that we will have to look for alternative areas or buy grass to complete our orders. This will eat into our profits, something we can’t afford,” informs Reeta.
Rashmi adds, “Bad weather makes the grass unfit for weaving. And even if they do manage to make the products, the quality is not up to the mark. This situation certainly doesn’t augur well for the future.”
Be it Tulasi, who learnt the craft after finishing her matriculation 3 years back and then managed to buy a sewing machine that helps her to earn more today, or Sarala Swain, a domestic violence survivor who “forgets her pain when she is weaving”, or even Alka Bala, who has become a local celebrity after being feted with the Kamla Devi Award for Excellence in Golden Grass Craft, this work has given them respect and a reason to hope for a better tomorrow.
Yet, they are afraid that this, too, like many other things would eventually fizzle away. “Climate change is a reality and we need to find ways to deal with it so that these women do not end up losing their livelihood. Steps must be taken to ensure that at least there isn’t indiscriminate construction happening in rural areas, which encroaches on the natural habitat of this grass, or that we get funds to build a proper facility to store grass for the months it is not available in abundance in the wild. These women have already hit rock bottom once, we can’t let them go through it one more time,” concludes Rashmi.