Maredumulli: A group of artisans from Assam, northeastern India, has come to Andhra Pradesh to help tribal people make their traditional crafts items more attractive.
Tribal people in Andhra Pradesh’s only produce swings, bamboo cots, sofa sets and other decorative sets. “When we spoke with them, they told us that other items have no market, which is not true,” said Prabhath Saikia, general secretary of All Assam Artisans Association and head of the six-member group.
The Assam group is now in Maredumulli forest region in East Godavari district to conduct a month long training program for semi-skilled tribal people, The Hindu reported.
According to Saikia, people do not mind the price if the craft items are made “very attractive.” Bamboo and cane articles could be sold for 50 rupees to 50,000 rupees, depending on how they are made, said the master craftsman from Assam’s Mariani junction near Dibrughar, who has attended hundreds of national exhibitions with his artisans group.
The training program at the Youth Training Centre is organized by the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) and the Andhra Pradesh Skill Development Centre in association with an NGO. Tribal people from villages such Y Ramavaram, Addateegala and Rajavommangi are also attending the program.
Saikia says like their Andhra counterparts the tribal people in his home state eke out a living by producing bamboo and cane items. However, the Andhra group is not coming out of the old practices to different kinds of handicrafts, he regretted.
However, the young tribal generation in Andhra Pradesh wants to know learn new techniques and new artistic models that could be sold in national and international exhibitions. They had requested for some expert trainers to coach them.
Saikia said his team trains the Andhra tribal people to make women jewelry with bamboo and can, mobile covers, hangers, see grass baskets, egg stands, different varieties of chandeliers, pendants, fixers and walls.
The Assam experts say the tools used by the local tribal groups need to be changed to improve their products.