An initiative of Kerala Arts and Crafts Village, it has boxes with handlooms and select handicraft products from the state
VV Suresh Kumar smiles as the traditional nettoor patti and kaal patti made in the artisans’ workshop at his home have reached many as this year’s Onam gift. These old wooden boxes – Nettoor box as jewelery box and Kala Patti for storing clothes and important documents – items included in ‘Gift a Tradition’ project of Kerala Arts and Crafts Village (KACV) in Vellar by Government of Kerala were involved in. Near Kovalam in Thiruvananthapuram.
‘Gift a Tradition’ was started by KACV in June to support artisans in Kerala. The traditional Kerala handloom and handicraft products in the list are Kerala Sarees, setu-mundu, dhoti, aranmula mirror, nettoor patti, kaal patti and piece of wall decoration made of wood, usually bearing the face of a Kathakali artist.
A premium gift box with Nettoor Patti, Aranmula Darpan, Dhoti, Kerala Sarees, Sethu-Mundu and Handicraft Items. photo Credit: special arrangement
“We get orders directly or through arts and crafts centers where these boxes are shown. The lockdown had made us high and dry. That’s when the project was announced and we sold 60 boxes in a short span of time. If we had got more time, we could have made more boxes,” says Suresh, who comes from a family of traditional craftsman and specializes in making nettoor patti. Whereas the Nettoor thong (9×6 inches), is made of wood anjilik (wild jack), jackfruit tree or mahogany starts at ₹4,000, a call box (15×9 inches) costs ₹11,000 and above.
According to KACV officials, more than 2,800 gift boxes have been sold so far. There are eight types of boxes (26x20x10cm is the common size), priced from ₹1,499 (handloom dhoti and one craft item). The two premium boxes, priced at ₹19,999 and ₹24,999, include Nettoor Patti and Call Patti.
A gift box with dhoti, Kerala saree, sethu-mundu, aranmula mirror and handicraft item. photo Credit: special arrangement
“When we announced it, we were not sure whether people would buy the boxes due to the financial difficulties related to the pandemic. “We were inspired by the number of orders we received,” says Sriprasad TU, COO, KACV.
Apart from buyers from Kerala and other states, orders have also been placed by migrants. “The project was targeted at non-resident Malayalees who want to give gifts for their loved ones back home. But many expats have placed orders for themselves. We have shipped boxes to Australia, GCC countries and the US. Although there were bulk orders from Malayalee associations abroad, we could not take it due to restrictions related to the pandemic,” says Abhijeet MT, operations manager.
credit assistance to weavers
The handloom products were procured from weavers of various handloom cooperative societies across the state, including five in Balaramapuram (Thiruvananthapuram), two in Palakkad, two in Ernakulam and one each from Kozhikode and Thrissur. “About 1,800 weavers from these societies have worked for this project alone,” says Abhijeet.
A weaver of the Udum Pavm Co-operative Society at Peruvembu in Palakkad district at work. photo Credit: special arrangement
Mahesh Kumar N, secretary of the Udum Pavm cooperative society in Peruvembu in Palakkad, says the order came at a time when weavers were struggling to make a living. “We weave clothes worth Rs 15 lakh. There are 25 weavers in the society, mostly women. Since they were not good enough to fulfill the orders on time, we had to hand over the work to around 20 looms in the nearby Kallankara village. Our weavers work extra hours to deliver the clothes ahead of time,” he says.
A weaver of the Udum Pavm Co-operative Society at Peruvembu in Palakkad district at work. photo Credit: special arrangement
Abhijeet says the project has now been extended to care homes in the state and is mainly being done through CSR funds from various business organizations.
KACV has also decided to make ‘Gift a Tradition’ a permanent project. “You can customize gifts for any festival or any celebration, such as a birthday or an anniversary. Apart from handlooms and handicrafts, we are adding items like spice boxes and mural work,” says Sriprasad.
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