Chukkalapadu (ASR district)
Kovvasi Chukkayya, 40, a Muria tribal farmer, in the Chukkalapadu settlement of Alluri Sitarama Raju district, Andhra Pradesh, holds two baskets in his hands: one each for his two children. The first was woven some years ago for his first son; the second, a few months ago, for his second. “It is portable and can be taken into the forest when we go to work,” Mr. Chukkayya said.
The Muria tribe custom mandates that a man weaves a bamboo cradle for his newborn baby as a lifetime memory for both the father and the child. The father must go into the forest, collect the bamboo, dry it, and weave the cradle with his own hands, with no help from anyone.
