The Byadhs of the Nadia district of West Bengal have been involved in the craft of making bamboo articles for as long as they remember. The eldest member of the clan Byasmoni Byadh, a widow well into her 90s, has built a humble abode on two kathas of land at Habibpur where she lives with her youngest son and daughter and their families. Byasmoni’s son, Madan, and his wife, Mamata currently lead the artisanal team of about 50 people, all related to each other. Mamata’s four daughters and their children, especially the eldest, Kanchan, are also learning the ropes of the trade. According to Kanchan’s aunts, he is quite a natural talent. Byasmoni’s daughter Parul, her husband Sadhan, and their sons, daughters, and grandkids xare also involved in the craft.

Bamboo crafting has been the sole source of employment for the Byadhs. They make various utilitarian and aesthetic articles from strips of bamboo shoots. They buy bamboo stems from harvesters, and cut them into long, thin, flexible strips using sickles and knives. It is a risky process, as maneuvering the sharp sickles along the long and heavy shoots takes a lot of strength. Cutting the finer strips runs the risk of slivers getting under the cuticles. Years of experience, however, have made them so skilled that they go about the task as second nature. Some shoots are cut into cylindrical pieces and smoothened to make vases and lamps. There is a division of labor between men and women. Women are primarily involved in basketry. The men specialize in making trays, called “kulo” and carving lamps. They make traditional baskets or ‘jhuris’ woven lampshades, flower vases, jewelry boxes, and pencil holders. They even make eco-friendly laundry baskets out of these bamboo strips. The ‘kulos’ is primarily made for religious rituals that are smaller and not dyed. However, larger ‘kulos’ made with brightly dyed strips, are also made for use in marriages, thread or rice ceremonies, and for household activities in rural areas like weaning, and husking of rice, lentils, wheat, etc. Smaller items take about 20-25 minutes to make, while larger, more intricate weaves take hours. They sit under a makeshift shelter adjacent to their mud house, in the shade of a tree, chatting and laughing while weaving wonders with swift, deft movements of their fingers.

Mamata herself grew up in extreme poverty, shifting from place to place. All she has ever known is the art of bamboo crafting. However, Mamata has been eager for her kids to get a formal education, especially the younger ones. Though none in the family have had the opportunity to pass secondary school, she is hopeful that her grandsons, who are currently in 3^rd, 4^th, and 6^th standards, will continue their education further. Kanchan, the eldest of her grandsons, is in 6^th. He sits alongside her aunts and grandmothers, carving patterns on bamboo shoots using scalpels. He is keen on learning the art and wishes to carry forward the tradition. His grandfather, however, wishes for him to acquire higher education and diversify into safer, less labor-intensive professions. They have preserved their tradition by marrying within the Byadh community. The artisans face many difficulties like flooding that forces them to abandon their homes during monsoon and live at the nearby railway station; overcast, humid weather dampening the raw materials, thus hindering production; and not acquiring fair prices for their products, to name a few. Mamata and Madan sigh, “With so many mouths to feed, we don’t have any savings. Even traveling art fairs requires us to borrow cash from others.” They look forward to better exposure and a sensitive market that would pay a fair price for their labor so that the craft can sustain and flourish further.