Weeding waste, furnishing wonders

KRISHNAGIRI:  The furniture in orange and brown shades mirrors a winwin situation. While the Irular tribals in Kottayur Kollai hamlet in Krishnagiri district manage to earn some extra buck, the move to get rid of Lantana Camara — an invasive species of a flowering plant native to the American tropics — has proven be an unexpected fillip for Mother Earth.

Though a few tribal members of the hamlet received training in furniture- making using this weed a decade ago, thanks to a non-governmental organisation Myrada, nothing moved till January when C Murugesan, Denkanikottai Forest Ranger, learnt of their skill.

This was all thanks to his discussion with the president of Village Forest Committee B Madhan which had focused on eradicating the alien species and reducing forest fires. Murugesan was quick in his action. With the funds from the Kottayur Kollai Tribal People Society, he arranged loans of Rs 5,000 each to 10 tribals to procure raw materials for building furniture from scratch.

Within a month, five among them had crafted seven pieces of furniture that included sofa, chair, teapoy, dustbin and cupboard, by using the plants. This initial batch of furniture was procured by society for Rs 10,000 in April. They were up for sale with each one quoting a price tag up to Rs 1,800. The remaining pieces of furniture are still being made.

However, transforming wood to furniture is by no means a cakewalk. The process involves collecting Lantana Camara and boiling it for a few hours to remove the barks. Then it has to be bent, tied and nailed to make the required furniture. “It will take three days for three people to make a sofa. For making other kinds of furniture, it will take a day or two,” says 29-year-old B Raman, one of the artisans from the hamlet. Raman adds that to collect raw materials like bamboo thread, they have to travel nearly 70 km to an area near Bengaluru.

Since the available funds are limited, Raman explains that they are able to buy only a less quantity of raw materials. “We would be able to make more furniture if we get financial support,” he says. The artisans are also mulling over the manufacture of elephant models using the weed. They believe that it will help them fetch more money.

Another member of the Kottayur Kollai hamlet, M Mallesh points out, two months ago, Wildlife Warden of Hosur Forest Division K Karthikeyani had sent two employees with a forest official to the Nilgiris to explore the possibilities of making the model of elephants using the invasive species. The forest department is planning to sell the products at the Iyyur Eco Tourism Centre, where a large number of tourists frequent. Murugesan believes by selling the products at the centre, the Irular families involved in the business will get a financial leg-up.

‘More furniture with funds’
Raman says with better financial aid, they could make more furniture. He adds, to collect raw materials like bamboo thread, the artisans travel nearly 70 km to an area near Bengaluru.