Bamboo, the poor man's timber, is being re-invented. It has moved beyond furniture to finding applications as cycles and rocking chairs in toy industry, makeshift houses during disaster management, cottages and kiosks in the tourism sector, lifestyle accessories and even in the agarbatti industry. To rekindle interest in the humble grass, the National Institute of Design in Bangalore is starting a 10-day course to impart skills on bamboo products from Tuesday, September 18, which is also World Bamboo Day.
"The workshop is for artisans, designers and architects and just about anyone who wants to learn how to make bamboo products," says Susanth CS, activity vice chairperson, Outreach Programmes Co-ordinator, Design for Retail Experience, NID.
The workshop will teach the basics. "Depending on their requirement, the learners can modify it. In Karnataka, bamboo grows in abundance. The only need is to make artisans aware of it being an eco-friendly, renewable natural resource and cost-effective product," says Kamesh Salam, former president of the World Bamboo Organisation.
Experts rue that bamboo is still considered a poor man's timber and therefore a substitute. Without a market of its own, bamboo is today struggling to find feet in the market.
Bamboo houses in Jharkhand
As part of an agreement with Jharkhand government, NID will help build bamboo houses for its Silk Board employees. A team from NID will first study the requirements and availability structure before embarking on the five-year project, wherein they will give a new dimension to bamboo houses.
World Bamboo Day
On World Bamboo Day, the aim is to spread the awareness of bamboo globally and especially in Asia, the storehouse of the plant. The World Bamboo Organization aims to bring the potential of bamboo to a more elevated exposure - to protect natural resources and the environment, to ensure sustainable utilization, to promote new cultivation of bamboo for new industries in regions around the world, as well as promote traditional uses locally for community economic development. World Bamboo Day was declared by the Thai Royal Forest Department on 18 September in Bangkok, during the 8th World Bamboo Congress.
Source: TOI
"The workshop is for artisans, designers and architects and just about anyone who wants to learn how to make bamboo products," says Susanth CS, activity vice chairperson, Outreach Programmes Co-ordinator, Design for Retail Experience, NID.
The workshop will teach the basics. "Depending on their requirement, the learners can modify it. In Karnataka, bamboo grows in abundance. The only need is to make artisans aware of it being an eco-friendly, renewable natural resource and cost-effective product," says Kamesh Salam, former president of the World Bamboo Organisation.
Experts rue that bamboo is still considered a poor man's timber and therefore a substitute. Without a market of its own, bamboo is today struggling to find feet in the market.
Bamboo houses in Jharkhand
As part of an agreement with Jharkhand government, NID will help build bamboo houses for its Silk Board employees. A team from NID will first study the requirements and availability structure before embarking on the five-year project, wherein they will give a new dimension to bamboo houses.
World Bamboo Day
On World Bamboo Day, the aim is to spread the awareness of bamboo globally and especially in Asia, the storehouse of the plant. The World Bamboo Organization aims to bring the potential of bamboo to a more elevated exposure - to protect natural resources and the environment, to ensure sustainable utilization, to promote new cultivation of bamboo for new industries in regions around the world, as well as promote traditional uses locally for community economic development. World Bamboo Day was declared by the Thai Royal Forest Department on 18 September in Bangkok, during the 8th World Bamboo Congress.
Source: TOI