The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Clay dolls, jute backpacks and more

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 23, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Clay dolls, jute backpacks and more

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI, MARCH 22. Products made by self-help groups may soon find their way to the export market, thanks to the Council for Advancement of People's Action and Rural Technology (CAPART).

The CAPART proposes to set up Gram Shree Mela sites in Madurai, Thanjavur, Salem and Tiruchi with support from the State Government and non-governmental organisations working with the SHGs.

The aim is to economically empower rural families, said L.V. Saptharishi, Director-General of CAPART, who inaugurated the 10-day Gram Shree Mela here on Tuesday.

He urged the NGOs to initiate discussions between SHGs and buyers for export orders. He explained to women exhibitors that the move would fetch them greater returns and improve their living standards.

The council has planned schemes to encourage more artisans to participate in such fairs. As part of this effort, the South Indian Producers' Association would hold a workshop for artisans this month-end, he said.

Stalls by 83 SHGs

At Good Shepherd Hall in Nungambakkam, about 83 SHGs from various parts of the country have put up stalls. The products range from bamboo penholders and lamp shades to Kolhapuri slip-ons; from clay Thanjavur dancing dolls to cotton-cum-jute backpacks; from Javadhi hill honey to hand-embroidered saris and batik-work salwar suits. Some women from the goldsmith tradition have designed jewellery.

The K.K. Nagar Buvaneswari Amman SHG makes soap oil and floor disinfectant. Uma Raj of the SHG, who was trained in PSG College in Coimbatore, trains others to make jute bags and purses. "We find it difficult to meet the demand," she says of the fast-moving backpacks that are priced Rs. 120.

Kanyakumari-based S.V. Industries, State awardee for necklace design made from coconut shells, receives bulk export orders for their coconut-shell coffee cups, soup bowls, spoons and ladles. Maria Susai says the 40-year-old company designed bowls and ladles to cater to the export market.

Kerala's SHGs have a variety of bamboo products while Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh SHGs have concentrated on clothes and door mats.

Development of Humane Action Foundation, an NGO, has organised the mela jointly with CAPART. P.A. Viswanathan, the foundation's liaison officer, said there was a demand for 120 stalls.

Gram Shree Mela has permanent stalls at Mapalayam and at Taj Residency at Pazhangaanatham in Madurai.

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