Broom makers in Balamuri see a bleak future

As the paddy harvesting has started, brooms made out of straw are in demand across Kodagu district.

The broom makers have been producing as many brooms as they can, to supply to customers.

Around 18 families belonging to Adi Karnataka community in Kanva Balamuri village near Napoklu have been making their livelihood by preparing brooms.

The dwindling number of paddy growers in the district has been affecting the job of broom makers as well.

The people go to the forest to collect a specific variety of straw to prepare various types of brooms meant for cleaning of indoors, outdoors and so on.

Normally, the straws are sourced from the hills of Iritti in Kerala and the Adi Karnataka families prepare broom out of them, at Kanva Balamuri.

The broom makers start collecting the raw material during Huttari festival season.

The broom prepared out of the special straw is very effective in cleaning the unwanted particles such as stones, paddy husks and mud lumps after the paddy is separated from the sheaths. The brooms are also used to clean coffee beans.

The brooms are prepared during the months of November, December and January.

Earlier, on the completion of paddy harvesting work, they would exchange brooms for paddy. Nowadays, the brooms are sold and a single broom costs about fifty rupees.

The broom makers have been continuing the hereditary occupation despite hardships.

Ramesh, a broom maker said that the demand for 'Kaddi Porake' variety of broom has fallen.

There are various other problems haunting the labourers. If the problems persist, they may have to quit the job, he said.

This year, Covid-19 has hit them hard. In order to collect raw materials, they have to rent the vehicles for a whole day. Leaving in the morning, they return by evening, with straws collected from the forest.

The straws have to be dried on the roadside for hours so that they can be tied into brooms later. Despite all the toil, the customers hesitate to purchase them, said a labourer, Puttamma.

"Earlier, the raw materials were easily available. Now, they have to travel far. Moreover, the forest department personnel pose hurdles in collecting the raw materials. Even though the brooms made out of straw are bio-degradable, people are going for plastic brooms," said Sanjiva, a resident of Kanva Balamuri.

"Many have been carrying out the broom making job only because they inherited the skills from their forefathers and are not willing to quit the hereditary occupation. It is really difficult to carry the brooms and sell them visiting door-to-door," he added.