Odisha bamboo artisans hit by coronavirus pandemic

Coronavirus pandemic has hit artisans across the country. They are not just struggling to earn livelihood but also to keep their craft alive. The pandemic has left Odisha’s traditional bamboo workers in a tight corner. Artisans in Bhubaneswar, who are into making of decorative items and other things with bamboo for the last 40 years, are struggling to find customers. Even the festive season has left them hopeless. Faced with several challenges, including stiff competition from plastic and fibre products, lack of marketing initiatives and soaring prices of bamboo, these artisans are deprived of a decent living. Artisans claimed that the decorative bamboo items like pachiya, basket, hand fan and winnowing fan and small Puja pandals, which once fetched them a good price, have now lost their charm to plastic and fibre products. As a result, the artisans are compelled to sell the items at lower prices. Such is the scenario that artisans are now looking for alternative ways of income.