Coimbatore: The pandemic scare and the lockdown have not rendered tribals in Anaikatti and Karamadai completely jobless.
Some of them are utilizing the excess time on their hands to collect leaves of the Albizia amara (Arappu) and bundles of broom grass to sell after the lockdown ends.
“Most of us had been working in farms or as part of the MGNREGA and had regular jobs. After the lockdown, people did not have much to do. None of us wants to sit idle at home, so we go into the forest to collect Arappu leaves and broom grass,” said Lakshmi, a resident of Colonypudur settlement in Tholampalayam village in Karamadai.
The forest surrounding her settlement is filled with Albizia amara trees. The tribal women collect the arappu leaves, dry it for a couple of days and hand it over to women’s self-help group functioning in the settlement for some money. “By doing this, we spend our time in a productive manner and also earn money,” Lakshmi said. The dried leaves are crushed to a fine powder and sold by the self-help groups as a natural conditioner,
“Every year this time, about 30% of the women – elderly and those who had not taken up outside work – would work with us in collecting the leaves. But this year, the number has almost doubled. This is only the start of season, we have already collected over 2 tonnes of Arappu leaves and found orders to sell most of it after the lockdown is lifted,” said Sulochana, another resident who is also a member of women’s group – Aadhi kuttamaipu. The women get 27/kg of dried arappu leaves.
Women from six tribal settlements – Senguttai, Pattisalai, Colonypudur, Seenkuli, Katasalai and Alankandipudur – in Karamadai are involved in the collection of arappu leaves.
Like the women, men in Anakatti region are collecting forest produce such as broom grass. Ravi, leader of village forest committee said, “due to lockdown, we don’t have any other work. So, we climb up the Marankulam hill, spend a night and collect broom grass. We climb the hills twice in a week.” They have stored about 350 bundles of broomstick in their settlements for sale.
Some of them are utilizing the excess time on their hands to collect leaves of the Albizia amara (Arappu) and bundles of broom grass to sell after the lockdown ends.
“Most of us had been working in farms or as part of the MGNREGA and had regular jobs. After the lockdown, people did not have much to do. None of us wants to sit idle at home, so we go into the forest to collect Arappu leaves and broom grass,” said Lakshmi, a resident of Colonypudur settlement in Tholampalayam village in Karamadai.
The forest surrounding her settlement is filled with Albizia amara trees. The tribal women collect the arappu leaves, dry it for a couple of days and hand it over to women’s self-help group functioning in the settlement for some money. “By doing this, we spend our time in a productive manner and also earn money,” Lakshmi said. The dried leaves are crushed to a fine powder and sold by the self-help groups as a natural conditioner,
“Every year this time, about 30% of the women – elderly and those who had not taken up outside work – would work with us in collecting the leaves. But this year, the number has almost doubled. This is only the start of season, we have already collected over 2 tonnes of Arappu leaves and found orders to sell most of it after the lockdown is lifted,” said Sulochana, another resident who is also a member of women’s group – Aadhi kuttamaipu. The women get 27/kg of dried arappu leaves.
Women from six tribal settlements – Senguttai, Pattisalai, Colonypudur, Seenkuli, Katasalai and Alankandipudur – in Karamadai are involved in the collection of arappu leaves.
Like the women, men in Anakatti region are collecting forest produce such as broom grass. Ravi, leader of village forest committee said, “due to lockdown, we don’t have any other work. So, we climb up the Marankulam hill, spend a night and collect broom grass. We climb the hills twice in a week.” They have stored about 350 bundles of broomstick in their settlements for sale.
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