Bamboo Garden Screen Weavers
A family accompanied by three workers has set up a miniature bamboo weaving set up near the Jeevan Beema Nagar SBI, Bangalore. I saw them making bamboo garden screen and fence panels. They worked in such fine coordination, like the kind you see in factories, that I spent a good half an hour there talking to them and watching them doing their work.
They manage their existence without any institutional help. They are unregistered and it was very evident from their style of working that they lack technical experience in production.
Bamboo garden fence raw materials
bamboo garden screen raw materials
The raw material was heaped under a tree and chained. All these raw material i.e. these bamboo poles are sourced from Belgaum, north Karnataka. Every morning around ten they assemble here and each starts with the job assigned to him/her. The raw material, long bamboo stem, is processed. Two men cut them in to strips and passed them on to be woven.
Three of them stand at the weaving structure and the strips are wound together. Strings used for weaving bamboo screen are wound over big and heavy stones which are hung on either side of the structure. Bamboo weaving techniques they used seemed so perfect, the knots so tight, the strips were bound well together.
Bamboo screen weaving frame
Bamboo screen weaving frame parts
These are the finished products. Bamboo blinds play the multiple roles of privacy screen, noise breaker and as wind breakers. The price starts from Rs. 25 per sq.ft. The better the finish higher is the price. Ms. Parvathi proudly displays the Bamboo blinds.
Bamboo fences. These sell at lesser rates than the blinds. They are varnished to enhance the life span. The main plus points of these stuffs are that they are environment friendly.
Bamboo Balcony Garden Fence panel
This is Mr Narayanswamy in the top picture, one of the weavers, engrossed in making fence with bamboo strips. I watched the second man bent at his job. They are the real eco warriors!
bamboo garden fencing weavers
and the only advertisement that he has for his business is this. They make both varieties; the bamboo fence rolls and bamboo fence panels. However they haven’t started on interior blind panels yet. On being asked why, the said, there was no demand for them.
They are of the opinion that for indoor screens people prefer to buy from high end shops. “Nobody likes to buy roadside products,” one of them said with downcast eyes.
Mobile phones may be fashionable for many, but these devices have become lifeline for such entrepreneurs to run their small businesses. As the demand for bamboo screen fence dies down in this area, and their business slows down they will shift to another part of the city.
Needless to say I purchased a roll of bamboo fence from them for my balcony garden. I got 3m length of 1m high bamboo screen roll. It is interesting to see how one whole family gets involved in such entrepreneurship. Years later I saw one entrepreneur family in Shimoga. Read here: Areca Leaf Plates
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That is such an insightful post! I hope these weavers get the recognition that they deserve.
They are the real skilled ones who rely on their hand.
Got some lattice work done by them and put it up in our terrace.
Good you put up their number. Hope work flows their way.
Thanks Shubha, your compliments make my day. 🙂
As usual Indrani , you bring us such interesting and diverse topics !!
These bamboo blinds are my favorites . Not only do they add a touch of class around the house , the are very efficient and functional too.
Not only are they ecologically environmentally friendlier than synthetic furnishing /curtains.
And most importantly it is such a great source of livelihood !!
Great post Indrani . Loved it 🙂
I’ll be in the Garhwal region in August 2008.:)
Thanks Eastcoastlife… yes they are not expensive.
Thanks Gil for the compliment.
Thanks Elaine for those encouraging words. Do keep coming.
Thanks Celine… when are you coming to India? Do let me know.
Thanks Asha… your words: “I hope the price is good enough for them to continue in business…” I am touched by your concern.
That was too good!
and the end product with no cutting edge tech looks even better…. I am sure it can beat the ones that we see in the Ikea stores and for which we do pay a lot…
I hope the price is good enough for them to continue in business…
It is posts such as these that make me miss India. Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Very well done post with the introduction and videos of them weaving the bamboos. Something we see often but never took time to understand how it’s done with both hands.
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Have a good weekend!!
I’m looking for bamboo blinds and the one shown here looks perfect! And it is not expensive. I would love to see them work…
Nice pictures, interesting text and a lot of care for the family doing their job… Great post!
Thanks for your comment on Blogtrotter, which has now landed in the imperial town of Marrakesh, the Red City!
Hope you enjoy and have a great weekend!
Thanks Lili & Nevada… glad you found it informative.
Thanks Kat…I found them too willing to talk and be photographed. They were all smiles the few minutes i spent there.
Thanks Raji… glad you found it informative.
Wonderful piece, so informative and saying it with pictures, too!
A good account on dignified entrepreneurs, however small.
Admire your ability to strike rapport, so easily.
Wow what great information and photos never new how that was done.
Thanks Vlahos, I am glad you found it educational… keep coming.
Thanks Lakshmi.
Thanks Zoey, yes life is hard for them… welcome and keep coming.
Thanks Swarna, I have to try again.
Thanks Quintarantino… Welcome and I am glad you liked reading what I shared.
Thanks Ajeya… Dhonti- I am glad you shared here.
NIce.
We had a bamboo bush in our house. We used them to pluck fruits. At the end of the bamboo another small piece is tied to act like hook. In Mangalore we call it “Dhonti” – used to pluck fruits.
I liked reading about these “bamboo workers” … nice photos that speak for themselves, but words make it even better.
Indrani, No limit to video length or number. Had added four in a post. May be just temporary glitches.
Good post. May such tribes thrive!
It looks like really hard work to do…
sometimes when we look into our own backyards, we come across some wonderful people ..thanks for this post
lakshmi
that was very educational. wonderful captures too. thank you for shared