Polaiah is a basket maker. He is from Andugula village in Kalavakurthi Mandal, Mahabubnagar district. He is about 35 years old. He belongs to Yerukala, a tribal community. Polaiah’s family has been weaving baskers for generations. Bagyamma, his wife also works as a basket maker. And they have three children. Polaiah’s father along with other 25 families came to the city about 30 years ago as the demand for baskets has declined in their native village. He sells baskets on the pavements of Chaderghat.
Polaish uses the spines of wild date palm (eatha chettu) leaves. Using a knife, he shaves off the leaves and keeps them in hot sunshine to make them dry. The raw material, wild date palm leaves, are brought in bundles from Andugula, their native village. His relatives in Andugula collect the spines from bushes around their villages and sell to bushes around their villages and sell to basket makers like polaiah. Andugula is about 60 km from Hyderabad.
Each bundle of date palm spices costs Rs.120. Polaiah and other basket makers usually bring 10 bundles for two months. Polaish’s family makes 25 baskets from one bundle. Ten bundles of spines would give them about 250 baskets. Ts takes 30 minutes to make a basket. He weaves baskets from 10 am to 5 pm with some breaks for rest and eating.
Polaiah sells each basket for rs.20. Sometimes, customers ask for a bigger basket for family rituals. These are sold at a higher price depending on the amount of raw material used. He sells baskets throughout the year. In two months he would sell Rs.5000 worth of baskets. The cost price is rs. 1200 excluding the transportation charges of Rs.100 for every visit to his Rs.3700 for 2 months. He does not earn sufficient income to meet his family expenditure. To supplement his income Polaiah buys and sells bamboo products like trays and stands.
Basket making is a craft work that involves the use of wild date palm leaves, cane and bamboo which are found in forests. There has been depletion of forests due to their extensive exploitation for big industries. This affects the livelihoods of people who have traditionally depended on forest. Further, the demand for such products has reduced considerably. This forces them to move out of rural areas and migrate to urban areas for survival. This is true for many involve in traditional activities. However, they have to often live in urban areas without basic amenities.