Tura: The water hyacinth that was a headache for Purasinga village in Meghalaya’s South West Garo Hills, who had to clear the ponds regularly, are now breathing easy and at the same time reaping benefits out of it as they have learnt an innovative way to deal with it.
The weeds are being used as raw material for creation of beautiful hand woven useful handicrafts.
Purasinga village is about 55 km from Tura in West Garo Hills.
The weed which creeps across the surface of the ponds are being used to create beautiful and decorative items including handbags, purses, hats, box, baskets and other fashion accessories.
In July 2013, a team of 15 women were selected by North East Region Community Resource Management Project for Upland Areas (NERCORMP), Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) to undergo training on the Thai technology at Guwahati in Assam.
“The idea was conceptualized for the villagers by former secretary of NEC, U.K. Sangma, who helped in linking up the village with NEDFi for training and sponsorship,” said Atul Chakravarty, project manager of
West Garo Hills Community Resource Management Society.
In Thailand, Vietnam and Philippines, the water hyacinths are used as braiding material and as source of fiber to create different products, including furniture.
During their 10 days of training at North East Development Finance Corporation (NEDFi) house sponsored by North Eastern Council (NEC), Shillong, they were given training on these weeds, which can create magic on weaves.
The stem of the water hyacinth are used for creation of useful items. It is dried, treated with sodium water, changing their colour from green to tan.
The villagers say that by creating products from water hyacinth they have learned to turn a pest into an asset.
“The raw material is easily available, so it is not a problem. It is a zero investment initiative where we need to use our creative imagination to make products,” said Memosha Marak, an elderly lady, who underwent the training. She is member of a SHG and secretary of Chijangjang Natural Resource Management Group (NaRM-G).
She adds, “We have trained several other women in the village and all of us are weaving different products. We are catering to local markets as of now. We would like to expand our initiative in due course of time.”
A total of 23 women, including a male member of the village are engaged in the craft making.
“To weave a purse, we need six to seven hours. It can be sold in the local market at a price ranging from Rs.250 to Rs.300, based on its design,” said Marak.
The group is participating in different local fairs and exhibition to display and sell their products. The products do not have any label or a brand.
The West Garo Hills Community Resource Management Society, an agency working under NERCORMP is devising a strategy to brand and label the items, which can be sold within Garo Hills and outside.
“In a week, we can complete two to three items and earn about Rs.1500,” said Painilla Sangma. A bag cost between Rs.700 and Rs.1200 and baskets range from Rs.300 to Rs.700.
The villagers are so excited about their innovation and are training more people, so that they can cater to the growing demand of their products.
“We are getting customized design and order for the products. We are supplying our items to markets in Tura and Ampati. We have a growing demand but we are not being able to fulfill it,” said Mimosa Marak.
It is really interesting to see aged women taking up this trade. “We can work from the comfort of our home. We don’t even have to go out. People are coming to the village also to buy our products,” said Kilje Sangma (52).
Simrinchi Marak (20), daughter of Mimosa Marak, who has learned the art of weaving using water hyacinth from her mother said, “I am happy that I have learn this art. It was not very difficult to learn weaving but the challenge before us is the demand for customized design, which we are learning to cope with.”
It has been a tradition to use cane and bamboo in Purasinga village for handicraft, but the water hyacinth has proved to be an excellent substitute.