West Godavari handloom weaver switches to woodcraft for a decent living

RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM: A sophisticated lab may not be necessary for all start-up ideas. Many ideas take birth in the minds that tend to be creative. A handloom weaver’s passion for woodcraft has turned him into a successful entrepreneur when he found it difficult to continue in the traditional profession, which was no more remunerative for him. 

Hailing from Dagguluru village in West Godavari district, Vasa Kotaiah used to eke out a living as a weaver. Over the last few years, the profession became unviable as he could not withstand the competition from fabrics produced on powerlooms due to huge price difference. 

As there were few takers for his handloom products, he was worried a lot about his future. After thinking a lot, he had decided to focus on woodcraft in which he is interested for a living.  He made a teapoy with discarded wood initially using his creativity. The teapoy shaped in the form of two bulls carrying a glass plank, attracted a landlord in the village when he placed it in front of his house. The landlord approached Kotaiah and expressed his wish to buy the teapoy at a good price. Kotaiah was thrilled by the offer. 

Besides buying the teapoy, the landlord made some suggestions to make Kotaiah’s woodcrafts more attractive. “I made the second piece as per the landlord’s suggestion to make it more attractive. The piece was sold like hotcakes, which made be confident to continue in the new-found woodcraft profession,” Kotaiah told TNIE. The demand for his woodcrafts had gone up and he started getting more orders. To meet the demand for his woodcrafts, he has employed about 15 youths in the village.     

“Now, we produce several woodcrafts a month which fetch us a good income,” Kotaiah said. The prices of his woodcrafts of different sizes range from Rs 8,000 to Rs 40,000 based on the material used and decorative work involved. He purchases discarded wood to make woodcrafts and also procures fibre, glass and other material from local shops. He also gets some material from Maharashtra through a trader.

Motivated by the success of Kotaiah, a few weavers’ families in his neighbourhood have also started making woodcrafts. “With my adaptability, I am leading a decent life, besides providing employment to about 15 youths,” Kotaiah said.