Twenty women belonging to the Dalit community in Sirukadambur village, in Ariyalur district’s Senthurai Taluk, are savouring financial independence after taking up a craft that has become a lucrative business.
“We first heard of palm leaf weaving in 2017, when it was offered as one of four options (the others being cashew processing, tailoring and jute bag production) from the Rural Self-Employment Training Institute. Weaving seemed to be the best suited for us, since most of us are full-time homemakers,” Priya Balakrishnan, 30, told The Hindu.
Forty women from the village joined the 15-day course supported by Dalmia Cements at the RSETI, but due to personal circumstances, only 20 were able to realise the commercial potential of their new skill.
Investing their savings together, five years ago, they formed the Sirukadambur Palm Leaf Cluster (SPLC) five years ago, and gather everyday in the hall run by Tamil Nadu State Rural Livelihoods Mission (TNSRLM) Mahalir Thittam in the village that doubles up as their office and storehouse.
TNSRLM has given the group a grant of ₹2. 5 lakh, of which SPLC has spent ₹1 lakh to purchase raw material this year.
Encouraged by SPLC’s business acumen, the authorities have teamed up with the Ariyalur District Collectorate to expand the group’s infrastructure. “We are in the process of completing a new 51.42 sq.m (553 sq. ft) workplace for the group in Sirukadambur for the group worth ₹9.6 lakhs,” said S. Murugannan, Project Director, TNSRLM, Ariyalur district.
Shared income
The mood was light-hearted on a recent weekday as women trooped in at the TNSRLM hall, some with their toddlers in tow, and sat down on the floor with their projects. Starting at around 10 a.m., they would be weaving until 5 p.m. Members can take their work home too.
“Though this is not a craft native to this region, and the raw material has to be sourced from Ramanathapuram, which is 250 kilometres away, we have been able to earn ₹1 lakh per month from product sales,” said L. Thendral Kumari, the accountant and weaving trainer of SPLC, as she expertly split leaf sections into thin strands using a wooden cutting mechanism fitted with safety razor blades.
The ivory-coloured tender new leaf of the palmyra tree (known locally as kuruthu) is used in weaving. A bundle of 25 kuruthu fronds costs ₹1,000. For coloured designs, the women boil the split leaf sections with kolam powder solutions and sun-dry them before weaving.
Weavers get paid for the number of pieces they create. “We note the names and their output per order and share out the income accordingly,” said Ms. Kumari, who earns up to ₹12,000 per month through basket weaving and also trains women in neighbouring villages for a fee.
Marketing support
Dalmia Cements helped the group to get a monthly contract to supply 2000 palm leaf wine bottle holders from a store in Goa. Besides this, the women have been busy completing a wedding order worth ₹1 lakh for circular trinket boxes from a customer in Chennai who saw them mentioned in a TV programme.
The women participate in government exhibitions and college fairs to ramp up sales. The extra money comes in handy for these homemakers, whose husbands are all employed as coolies in Chennai’s Koyambedu vegetable market. “The menfolk don’t get to come home unless there’s a festive break in Chennai. And it is tough for a single breadwinner to take care of the family these days. I manage to earn ₹5,000 from basket weaving, which helps us to meet basic expenses like paying for groceries,” says Ms. Priya, who has four children.
Recalling her very first pay day, Ms. Priya pointed out to her gold earrings glinting in the sunshine. “I bought these with my own money. It felt wonderful to be able to purchase something for myself without causing a drain on the family finances.”
