“Those were the days when rains come unexpectedly over the deep interiors of Attappady and lasted for several hours. People did not lend umbrellas to strangers, especially tribal schoolchildren returning home. I used to take refuge under some canopy till the rains were over,” recalled B. Lakshmi of the Dasannur tribal settlement, while making umbrellas on the premises of tribal social service organisation Thampu at Kottathara, near here.
Lakshmi is part of a 30-member collective of tribal women which manufactures three models of quality umbrellas under an empowerment project supported by a social media initiative of Keralites living in the Gulf. The collective is now making umbrellas on a large scale to retail across the State before the advent of the next monsoon. Branded Karthumbi umbrellas, they would be marketed with the cooperation of non-governmental organisations, government departments, schools, colleges and private establishments.
According to Selvi Balan, a member of the collective and standing committee chairperson of the Sholayur grama panchayat, each beneficiary tribal woman gets a daily wage of Rs.700 through the initiative.
“We decided to intervene in the area after reading about the infant deaths in Attappady because of poverty and malnutrition. When Thampu offered local coordination and infrastructure, we collected capital for the umbrella manufacturing unit,” said Sneha Edamini, a social media coordinator for the initiative.
The unit began functioning last year with an initial working capital of Rs.1 lakh. Though there was meagre production and weak retail network in the initial phase, efforts are now on to increase investment and production. The retail network is also getting strengthened.
Each woman makes 8 to 10 umbrellas a day. “We are promoting advance booking and bulk booking by organisations and establishments,” said Rajendra Prasad of Thampu.
Efforts are also on to prompt the SC/ST Department to buy Karthumbi umbrellas to distribute among students of tribal residential schools across the State. Thampu is also planning to market Karthumbi brand washing powder, ragi powder, and toilet cleaners.
