How a Hyderabad firm helps design lifestyle products from water hyacinth fibres

Keshav and Bina Rao of Inventive Bee present a prototype of a way of life accent made with water hyacinth fibres
| Picture Credit score: Nagara Gopal

Within the compact workplace of Creative Bee studio in Banjara Hills, Hyderabad, are samples of way of life equipment similar to pen stands, coasters, desk mats, baskets and lampshades product of water hyacinth fibre, priced between ₹300 and ₹5,000. Among the sturdy baskets and lampshades are not less than a decade previous. Bina and Keshav Rao, founders of the organisation, which is reputed within the handloom and craft sector, have helmed abilities coaching tasks. After coaching girls in two villages in Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu, in 2022, Keshav lately carried out a survey of three villages in Bihar for the same undertaking; he additionally hopes to coach girls in Hyderabad and within the close by districts of Telangana.

The couple factors out that water hyacinth, the weed that grows wild on water our bodies, will be harnessed to offer a supply of livelihood to individuals skilled to make way of life equipment. “If the merchandise meet high quality management as per worldwide requirements, there’s big potential. Shops similar to Walmart and Ikea look to supply merchandise made with pure fibres,” Bina explains.

Snapshots from the coaching programme and a number of the merchandise
| Picture Credit score:
Particular Correspondent

Inventive Bee has been a part of UN-aided craft coaching tasks in India and Southeast Asia previously. Going by its observe file and studying about a number of the merchandise accessible in Thailand, the Collector’s workplace in Tuticorin and Tamil Nadu State Rural Livelihood Mission invited them for a coaching undertaking. 

Following a preliminary survey of the water our bodies close to Tuticorin, a programme started in Authoor and Kottakurichi villages in January 2022. Ladies from self-help teams, a lot of them wives of farmers within the close by banana plantations, took half within the coaching. “Initially it was a small group. As phrase unfold, extra girls got here ahead and have been supplied a stipend. We skilled 60 girls,” says Bina.

Coaching for precision

Keshav had designed device kits to assist slit the water hyacinth stems, weave and pleat them. Product prototypes have been designed with the assistance of alumni from the Nationwide Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. He explains that the primary few days are usually spent in totally washing the fibres to forestall fungus formation. The fibres are then sorted in line with thickness and size and dried on tiled rooftops. “This takes about 5 – 6 days in summer season and longer in different seasons. As soon as fully dry, the fibres are trimmed to the required thickness.” 

Keshav and Bina Rao present prototypes of way of life equipment made with water hyacinth fibres
| Picture Credit score:
Nagara Gopal

The pleating of fibres into baskets and different merchandise is a ability perfected by way of observe. It takes six weeks to study fundamental pleating strategies. Keshav says there’s typically a false impression {that a} coaching programme of a fortnight or a month would suffice. He reveals a number of baskets that mirror the amateurish handwork with irregularities in pleating. In distinction, the pleating and end of the merchandise made by artisans who’ve skilled for a number of months, stand out as premium merchandise. “At the least six months of coaching is important to realize stringent high quality management and uniformity for bulk company orders and for nationwide and worldwide way of life shops. We additionally establish the ability units and delegate the duty. One is likely to be good at trimming the fibres whereas one other is likely to be good at pleating or guaranteeing a clean end of the product, and so forth.”

Baskets and desk equipment are just one a part of the product line. Keshav and Bina level out that there’s scope to design furnishings as nicely.

“The Tuticorin undertaking prolonged to eight months since normalcy was simply being restored put up lockdowns. The ladies had learnt to make good high quality merchandise,” says Bina. In direction of the top of the undertaking, Ramesh Flowers, an organization that exports dry flowers and different way of life merchandise for a global firm, helped facilitate a bulk order of water hyacinth merchandise. The undertaking remains to be underway in Tuticorin, says the couple, and provides that their involvement was solely with the coaching programme.

Bina and Keshav hope to coach extra individuals within the craft. A survey of water our bodies in Bihar has helped Keshav establish three villages — Samsa, Kaidarabad and Rajlakhanpur. “For the time being, we’ve a number of artisans in Tuticorin who will be trainees and impart these abilities to others in Bihar. We hope to impart the abilities to some girls in Hyderabad and the encircling areas in Telangana as nicely,” says Keshav.