Basket weaver Sakthivel R is a busy man all over this time of the 12 months. He arrives at 6.30 am at Redfields and begins his paintings for the day- creating cribs for Christmas. It's laborious to miss this middle-aged man and his circle of relatives working on bamboo timber on the front of the defense locality. "I have been making cribs for Christmas for many years now. I am a basket weaver by profession, but in the month of December, I make only cribs. The work begins in the last week of September. I first place the order for bamboo. Once, we procure the wood, we chop them and bring it to our workplace. Here, we cut them into small sticks, depending on the size of the crib. We use nails to attach these sticks. We need at least seven pieces of bamboo sticks to make a crib. We decorate the roof of the crib with hay. On an average, we churn out 6-8 cribs every day," says Sakthivel whilst he continues to chop the wood. His 14-year-old son deftly hammers the nails onto the sticks.
His circle of relatives is helping him throughout the day. His daughter Gomathi Sabarinathan tells us, "The advantage of cribs made out of bamboo is that it can last up to two years if maintained well. Once you take the crib home, it is advised to cover it with a newspaper. If you want it to last longer, all you have to do is apply a coat of varnish. This way the crib will not get affected by insects."
Sakthivel points out that almost all basket weavers in the town get down to making cribs all over Christmas. "You can find them in Poo Market and Town Hall. But, in December most of these basket weavers go to Kerala as they find ample work there. Since we have our regular customers, we choose to stay here. We supply cribs to churches, restaurants, schools, colleges and families as well. Most of the customers buy cribs when they go back home from work. Hence, we stay here till 10 pm. An average crib costs Rs 200 to 1,000, depending on the size," he informs.
While bamboo cribs are sizzling available in the market, Antony Raj from Puliakulam, then again, says that cribs constituted of thermocole have many takers, too. "These cribs are easy to make. All you need to do is cut the thermocole into pieces and stick them using glue. For extra fittings, we use pins. After that, we decorate the crib. These cribs can be made from discarded thermocole because we make use of discarded thermocole. I also source Christmas tree and other decorations from Thrissur and Ernakulam. In Kerala, celebrations begin in the first week of December. This year, I have also made cribs out of discarded reaper and cardboards. My family helps with the process. The cribs are sold till Christmas and the stars, till New Year."
His circle of relatives is helping him throughout the day. His daughter Gomathi Sabarinathan tells us, "The advantage of cribs made out of bamboo is that it can last up to two years if maintained well. Once you take the crib home, it is advised to cover it with a newspaper. If you want it to last longer, all you have to do is apply a coat of varnish. This way the crib will not get affected by insects."
Sakthivel points out that almost all basket weavers in the town get down to making cribs all over Christmas. "You can find them in Poo Market and Town Hall. But, in December most of these basket weavers go to Kerala as they find ample work there. Since we have our regular customers, we choose to stay here. We supply cribs to churches, restaurants, schools, colleges and families as well. Most of the customers buy cribs when they go back home from work. Hence, we stay here till 10 pm. An average crib costs Rs 200 to 1,000, depending on the size," he informs.
While bamboo cribs are sizzling available in the market, Antony Raj from Puliakulam, then again, says that cribs constituted of thermocole have many takers, too. "These cribs are easy to make. All you need to do is cut the thermocole into pieces and stick them using glue. For extra fittings, we use pins. After that, we decorate the crib. These cribs can be made from discarded thermocole because we make use of discarded thermocole. I also source Christmas tree and other decorations from Thrissur and Ernakulam. In Kerala, celebrations begin in the first week of December. This year, I have also made cribs out of discarded reaper and cardboards. My family helps with the process. The cribs are sold till Christmas and the stars, till New Year."
Christmas cribs keep these weavers busy in December
![Christmas cribs keep these weavers busy in December]()
Reviewed by Kailash
on
December 29, 2017
Rating:
