In a tiny hamlet at rustic Dasanapura in Chamarajanagar district, Karnataka, a group of women deftly shape fine slivers of bamboo to make beautiful bamboo lanterns in different shapes to hold fairy lights that promise to bring the twinkle of stars into your homes for Christmas. The fairy light holders in green, red, orange and natural colours come in the shape of balls and tiny cylinders.
Jayamma, 35, one of the women from the Chelavadi community, has been hard at work, making the lanterns for the fairy lights that are much in demand during December and New Year’s Eve. A homemaker, she is part of the Karnataka-based Mahila Swasahaya Mutual Benefit Trust, an initiative to empower women from marginalised communities by upskilling them in various crafts to make products for contemporary buyers and markets.
