Bamboo Craft - Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh
The bamboos are part of Poaceae grass family. The largest members of the grass family are the giant bamboos. Bamboo plants grow from seeds or rhizomes. The rhizome system is very important. As bamboo does not have a central trunk as in trees, they become the foundation. Bamboo rhizomes can be further classified sympodial or monopodial. In general, bamboo species have luxuriant foliage: the plant is one of the top producers of biomass. According to an estimate, bamboo accounts for one-quarter of the biomass in tropical regions and one-fifth in sub-tropical regions. They are very versatile material and are widely used for everyday products in various parts of the countries. Bamboos are fast growing and are a low cost material that is strong and durable. It can be used for various purposes such as house building to functional and decorative objects. Chairs, stools, hats, baskets, cups, bowls, chopsticks, musical instruments and more are some of the bamboo products that are often seen. It plays a role for erosion control, riverbank protection, landslide prevention and land rehabilitation. With the treatment of bamboo it forms to a light, remarkably durable and hard wood that can be used for constructing houses, furniture, roofing and floorings. Bamboo is a material that provides several job opportunities as with a small capital investments the products can be achieved. Hence there are many cooperatives that have indulged in training in making bamboo products especially in the villages. Bamboo products essentially need a good design that doesn’t only focus on aesthetic but also on the way it is made, durability and marketability using simple tools to make them. Bamboo can be bent to curve and round shapes without breaking, as it is flexible. They are smooth so unlike wood, they don’t need to be stripped for making craftwork. The canes can be split according to the craft requirements. The raw materials are available in plenty. Northeastern parts mostly Assam has probably the maximum resources for the bamboo industry in India comparing with the foreign countries.
Bamboo as natural raw material do not cause any harm to the user and are eco-friendly. Needs very less maintenance and is durable. The cost is low and also affordable. This makes the products to be designed with ease and little effort. The thoughts of the artisans could be easily made to achieve to the fine products. The bamboos are treated before beginning to use. The bamboos are cut and dried to remove the moisture content. After this the bamboo is treated with termite resistance. Many simple and heavy tools are used to cut the bamboo to the required sizes before beginning with work. As there is less wastage of raw materials it is going to be an added advantage to the reduction of the cost of production.
