Photograph: Zubair Alif
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Photograph: Zubair Alif
High quality bamboo crafts are normally troublesome to return by and discovering a vacation spot with an intensive number of decisions could be much more elusive. Therefore, if you’re in pursuit of such a spot, allow us to suggest a visit to Borni, a village in Tangail.
Nestled throughout the Delduar upazila of Tangail, Borni is a village well-known for producing a wide range of bamboo crafts. The vast majority of Borni village residents are engaged in numerous types of bamboo craftsmanship, rendering bamboo merchandise readily accessible. Nevertheless, there is no such thing as a retail retailer however various workshops across the village that provide merchandise in addition to a glimpse of the manufacturing line.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star’s Google News channel. Photograph: Zubair Alif
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Photograph: Zubair Alif
Because the practised arms of one of many craftsmen stored weaving intricate designs out of bamboo slats, Md Nurunnabi, the proprietor of one of many largest workshops, described the character and scope of the enterprise.
“We make use of three distinct bamboo varieties in our craft: Talla, Muli, and Raja bamboo,” he defined, “however the Talla bamboo is essentially the most prized one for high quality merchandise.” Most of those bamboos are sourced from native markets, however the Raja bamboos are normally bought from Mymensingh.
Md Nurunnabi has been within the bamboo craft enterprise for the final 34 years and with none hesitation about his aspirations, he overtly expressed his want for his son to hold on this enterprise as properly.
In his personal phrases, “The enterprise is nice. It has been flourishing significantly properly for the reason that COVID-19 pandemic.” Earlier than the pandemic hit, nearly all of his merchandise had been exported to Europe however the restrictions that got here after opened a equally worthwhile home market.
Photograph: Zubair Alif
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Photograph: Zubair Alif
“We did not even think about the native marketplace for our merchandise earlier than,” he added with a smile, “however now we take massive orders from supermarkets.” Additional questions on the enterprise reveal that the majority merchandise that come from Borni village are from three main distributors — Abdul Karim, Shah Alam, and himself.
Md Nurunnabi’s workshop sometimes sustains a workforce of round 20 workers, which can increase to as many as 70 or extra throughout peak demand intervals. The opposite two workshops keep the same degree of manpower, collectively serving as a significant supply of employment for the group.
Guests on the lookout for high quality bamboo wares can discover right here a big number of merchandise starting from baskets of various styles and sizes to fruit bowls, jewelry packing containers, hampers, ladles, mugs, pen-holders, trays and much more! This huge array of merchandise comes with worth tags that provide one thing for each funds.
Most baskets can be found throughout the vary of Tk 200 to 450, aside from laundry baskets, which can fetch round Tk 600. For fruit bowls, trays and jewelry packing containers, the associated fee varies primarily based on measurement, sometimes falling between Tk 250 and 500. Mugs and pen holders are fairly inexpensive, priced within the vary of Tk 100 to 150. Spoons and ladles are even cheaper, with a price ticket of Tk 50 to 100. For these searching for distinctive present items, choose gadgets can be found, spanning from Tk 300 to 800, relying on the intricacy of their design.
Photograph: Zubair Alif
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Photograph: Zubair Alif
Nevertheless, essentially the most notable product is undoubtedly the lamp shades and the sheer vary of decisions accessible is kind of astonishing, to say the least. Each workshop is adorned with stacks of lampshades, every that includes its distinctive design. It is no surprise that Md Nurunnabi confirms, “The lion’s share of our orders revolves round lampshades, making them the best-sellers in our stock.” The worth of those shades normally begins at Tk 400 and will attain as excessive as Tk 1200.
Concerning the long run challenges of this cottage trade, a unanimous settlement emerges amongst these concerned: the first challenges are the shortage of expert artisans and the absence of recent equipment. Md Nurunnabi elaborated on this situation, stating, “A lot of the expert craftsmen have both handed away or are actually of their twilight years, with no sources accessible for coaching new expertise.”
