Raipur
Bamboo, also known as green gold due to its numerous uses in life, stands the test of time in Baldakachhar, a Kamar tribe-dominated village, in Baloda Bazar district of Chhattisgarh. The Kamar is a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group or PVTG, and inhabits the forested hills of central India just like the Baiga.
On an afternoon, Phuleshwari Kamar’s nimble fingers are at work on a bamboo item. She lifts her face and smiles on being approached. The tribal woman, who earns her living by weaving baskets, hand fans and supas (flat trays used for winnowing paddy after harvest), belongs to Hans Vahini, a self-help group (SHG),comprising 11 members. There are two other similar groups in the village: Veena Vadini and Gyan Vahini.They came into existence in 2020 and are engaged in bamboo craft for livelihood.
Phuleshwari supplies more information to The Indian Tribal: “Women in Baldakachhar have been making bamboo items for years. I usually buy bamboo from the forest department depot, and at times, directly from farmers. I make Rs 3000 a month on an average. Sometimes, traders visit the village to purchase the items. At times, I go to the nearest weekly market with the products.”
The depot bamboo, which is stored and distributed by the Forest Department, comes cheap. It costs Rs 40 for a single piece whereas farmers sometimes charge double the amount. To make tokris or baskets, two pieces are required. While hand fans can be made with one piece, brooms need three pieces. The items are nominally priced keeping the rural population in mind. While hand fans cost Rs 100 per piece, a supa costs Rs 150. Some items are made in a few hours and others take up to two days.
Earning Livelihood
Like many tribal women dependent on forest resources, the Kamar community women of Baldakachhar too are so. Apart from bamboo items, they make the kanta jharu. The raw material for this, a kind of grass, is collected from fields after the paddy harvest season. One jharu or broom is priced at Rs 70. The women collect the material, store it and make the brooms throughout the year. The brooms are dried and stored on roofs.
It is not an easy life for the women, as they manually slice and cut the bamboo pieces throughout the day, apart from their daily chores. Some of the items are also coloured artistically to make them look attractive. It takes extra time and effort. In the midst of their busy schedule, some women find time for nutrition gardens.
A walk around the village reveals that there are many concrete houses in Baldakachhar’s Kamar hamlet. In front of a house, a woman rolls leaves for bidis. Two women are at work with lac, again a non-timber forest product and natural resin. It is used to make bangles. Two women separate the lac resin with hands which is sold and used in bangles.
Sunita Sahu has been associated with the village, thanks to her association with the National Rural Livelihoods Mission. She informs that one kilogram of lac is sold at Rs 500.
Government Aid
Chanchal Verma, the programme officer of MGNREGA, says as Baldakachhar is a PVTG village, its residents have been given houses as part of PM Janman under the Ministry of Rural Development. A total of 25 houses were sanctioned under PM Janman in 2024-25. The Kamars do not own lands. Some have been given jobs in government offices.
According to Verma, the Kamar residents of Baldakachhar get work under MGNREGA. Some beneficiaries receive sheds for goat and poultry. “The village is big, but the Kamar community area is limited to only a hamlet. The community had been living here for long, but now they have government houses.”
Sahu looks after the entire Borsi cluster in Baloda Bazar, of which Baldakachhar is a part. She encourages bamboo items, as these are traditional, under NRLM. A big round item, called the parra, is used during weddings, especially for the haldi ceremony. Sometimes, a burgundy colour is used to enhance its beauty.
“Even though traditionally adept at bamboo work, the women received training. I have been associated with Bihan (Chhattisgarh State Rural Livelihood Mission) since 2014 which helps in poverty alleviation and income generation of rural women,” she said.
Most of the items are sold in Kasdol town. Brijbai Tandon from the Satnami community keeps a shop which sells bamboo items. She has been running it for 20 years and makes Rs 10,000 a month.
Chhattisgarh has abundant bamboo forest and is known or bamboo work. Bamboo baskets are commonly seen in tribal markets. However, these days, many buyers choose plastic items over sustainable and eco-friendly bamboo ones as these last longer, says Manish Panigrahi, who lives in Bastar district. Associated with travel start-up Unexplored Bastar, Panigrahi leads tourists to rural weekly markets.
