Each handmade product has many stories embedded in it, of its makers and its place of birth. And a craft practised by women and for women is sure to have a piece of their life in every product. Such is the case with the art of screwpine weaving in certain villages and regions in Kerala.
The leaves of the hardy screwpine are used by women to weave baskets, containers and mats commonly used in homes. The sturdy, handcrafted products made by skilled women weavers caught the attention of Medha Bhatt Ganguly in 1997. As part of a craft documentation course, the then student of National Institute of Design first travelled to Kerala to learn more about the craft and the process of plaiting mats that was common in the village of Thazhava in Kollam.
“I was enthralled by the skill of the women and in awe of the ways they used the leaves. They made products that were completely eco-friendly and biodegradable. In Thazhava, they would cut the thorny leaves, strip it of its thorns, boil it, dry it and then use it for weaving. That explains why the double woven screwpine mats made in Thazhava are much more softer and pliable than the ones made elsewhere,” explains Medha.
Different processes
Later, she learnt that there were differences in the process and even in the kind of plants they used. Women around Thalayolaparambu in Kottayam district and Kottapuram in Kodunagalloor did not boil the leaves but dried it and then plaited it to make baskets and mats.
Years later, Medha, a successful designer and entrepreneur, returned to Thazhava and the other places where screwpine weaving was alive to document the craft of screwpine weaving for a project — Upgrading the Skills and Training in Traditional Arts/Crafts for Development, which was funded by the department of Minority Affairs and executed by the National Institute of Design under the Government of India. “Headed by Jonak Das, ‘The craft of the courtyard, a study of screwpine crafts of Kerala’, attempts to show how a craft tradition of indigenous people rooted in plant materials is relevant to burning issues of climate change, tropical deforestation and global warming and so on. The idea was to understand the state of the craft and how to make it relevant for a new era. Under the scheme, we were supposed to help the women acquire better market prospects for their products by finding new markets for the products. The research has been led by three perspectives: plant, craft and people,” explains Medha over phone, from Vadodara.
A team of three travelled to Kerala for the documentation. While photo documentation was by Jazeela Basheer, videography was done by Sivaranjini Nair, two young graduates from NID, all under the supervision of Medha.
But Medha was in for a shock when she reached Thazhava. The place that she had visited in 1997 had undergone drastic changes. “In those days, rows of screwpine served as a fence between houses and it was found all around the place. Today, just finding the plant has become a task in itself,” rues Medha.
Designer and entrepreneur Medha Bhatt Ganguly with the women weaving screwpine into trendy bags and purses
Changes in lifestyle had stripped screwpine products of its relevance in modern homes, which led to shrinking markets. That and the hard labour involved in stripping the thorny leaves and then dyeing, weaving and (plaiting) them into charming baskets and mats persuaded many young women to turn their back on a craft that was practised for generations in their families and turn to more lucrative work, even if it were menial work that did not require much skill.
Inspirational mentors
“But thanks to some inspiring men and women, screwpine weaving is still alive. P.T. Girish, executive director of Kerala State Institute of Design, Kollam, is one person who has always made it a point to encourage the women to continue working with their deft hands. He conducted training programmes and imparted new designs to make their products relevant in a space that hankers for durable products instead of eco-friendly ones. The women are making bags, purses, files and folders and so on,” says Medha,
Jawaharlal Memorial Social Welfare Public Co-operation Centre in Thalayolaparambu and Kottapuram Integrated Development Society in Kodungalloor are doing yeoman work by helping rural artisans to revive their traditional skills and make it economically viable. “On account of a few outstanding mentors in these NGOs, screwpine weaving is still thriving in both the places,” she adds, recalling the many women she met and interacted with during her research. She recounts several success stories of women who were able to do well economically on account of screwpine weaving.
“It was because they were able to find markets for their products and a fair price. Unless screwpine weaving becomes a viable economic activity for the women, they cannot be expected to continue their traditional crafts,” explains Medha.
Medha explains that the art of screwpine weaving is an ancient one and emphasises man’s close links with the plant world. “This bond between man and plants must have been one of the earliest of its kind in the realm of oceanic voyages and migrations and it must have been an organic relationship,” says Medha.
Medha points out that since the women acquired the plant from their vicinity, they had a symbiotic bond with nature. As a result, the women were familiar with the plants in their surroundings and used them in different ways. “It is all connected. When the women cut their links with their traditional craft, in a way, they are also losing their links to nature and to traditional wisdom and knowledge,” she says.
