Party time for bamboo craftsmen in Hyderabad

By Sheena Shafia

From making bamboo baskets to effigies of Ravana, from ‘jhulas’ for Bonalu to ‘tumbdi’s’ for Diwali, bamboo craftsmen in the Old City have now set their eyes on the mega jamboree, the upcoming elections. In fact, one can already see quite a number of huge bamboo frame-anddecoration paper symbols of various political parties dotting the Sardar Mahal area of the Old City.

Elections mean a tight schedule not only for party leaders, but for bamboo work craftsmen as well. With their hands full with orders from political activists, these craftsmen, who hardly get work all round the year, end up making their annual income during the election season. Soon after the poll campaigns pick up momentum, they get busy crafting symbols of various political parties and churn out everything from kite to hand on bamboo.

According to the craftsmen, there is much demand for the electoral symbol of Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM), which is a kite, though there are considerable orders filtering in from other parties like Congress, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

“We get bamboo from the markets at Attapur, Dilsukhangar and Mozzamjahi Market. Orders will start pouring in after the last date of withdrawal. Besides, independent candidates will also come in, but only after symbols are allotted to them,” said P Srinivas Mahendra, owner of 80-year-old bamboo craft shop P Yellaiah and Sons.

Srinivas, whose family has been in the business for the past eight decades, has made over 800 party symbols of MIM in the last two months. Though most of the orders are for two feet by eight feet kites, he has even made some as huge as 15 feet. The price tag varies from Rs 60 to Rs 150 per piece, depending on the paper and decorations or extra fittings like serial bulbs used. Besides the Old City neighbourhood, Srinivas also got orders to make ‘punja,’ (hand) for the Congress from Secunderabad.

“Once canvassing starts, we will get more orders,” P Chandra Sekhar, owner of another store near Telephone Exchange, Charminar, said. He is also expecting orders from the TDP’s cycle. The demand from political parties is for bamboo symbol frames and cutouts, Chandra Sekhar added.

With huge amounts being spent during this season, nobody grudges these Sardar Mahal crafstmen their business.