Purasinga Village in South West Garo Hills district of Meghalaya is located about 55 km from Tura and approximately 365 km from the state capital, Shillong. In this village, water hyacinth, also known as Eichhornia crassipes, exists in abundance and can be seen growing in ponds and other water bodies, or in areas where paddy cultivation has been abandoned. The case of the water hyacinth in Purasinga is unique, as not long ago, the plant was viewed as a nuisance because it contributed to blockage in drainage systems. This highly regenerative plant has also adversely affected the biodiversity in the village’s ecosystems.
Today, however, water hyacinths have accounted for the creation of varied forms of livelihoods in the village, after it was discovered that the sturdy nature of these plants makes for beautiful and innovative handicraft items such as different types of bags, baskets, purses, and many other accessories that are high in demand and popular across the State.
Government jobs in Purasinga for the less qualified are few and most villagers are farmers and daily wage earners. However, that does not indicate that these villagers take home, substandard levels of income. In fact, the Chijonjang Natural Resource Management (NaRM) Group is proof that with the right intervention and assistance, which in their case included the early facilitation of the IFAD-supported North East Region Community Resource Management Project for Upland Areas (NERCORMP) and later, the Basin Development Unit (BDU) of the MBDA, exploring other means of livelihoods can turn out to be quite rewarding.
Memosha R. Marak, Secretary of the Chijongjang NaRM Group, revealed that she and ten other people were part of a Self Help Group (SHG) formed on November 7th, 2004 with members who shared the common objective of improving the standard of living, addressing issues within the community, building trust and relationships, and ensuring the future of the next generation. Their main activities included managing an areca nut community nursery and piggery farming. The SHG was however short lived as members were unable to sustain the SHG productively.
On October 14th, 2011, the Chijongjang NaRM Group through the intervention of NERCORMP was formed. The Chijongjang NaRM Group consists of three SHGs, namely, Chachong SHG, Krimko SHG and Singat SHG, and all its members are well versed in bag-making. During its formative years, 15 members from the SHGs were selected by NERCORMP and the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) for undergoing training on Thai technology at the North East Development Finance Corporation (NEDFi), Guwahati in Assam. NERCORMP helped the Group tremendously and facilitated trainings, exposure visits and funds for its members. When the project ended, the group faced a few hurdles in functioning independently and meeting targets set by the Project.
But as luck would have it, the BDU of MBDA in Ampati took over the Group and has since facilitated similar support after identifying the long-term potential of the activities of the Group.
Their members were sent to a ten-day orientation programme cum training workshop, which focused on efficiently and innovatively using loom in getting ideal results. The BDU has also provided them with nine looms and two flattening machines. The members learned to sew and stitch bags, mats and other items. Their products had a starting price of Rs. 150, and depending on the size and design, prices ranged up to Rs. 1,000. Customized and well-designed purses and bags were sold at Rs. 700 or Rs. 800 each.
The Group has also been invited to showcase and sell their products at numerous festivals and trade fairs in Delhi, Shillong, Ampati and Tura. The initial process of making the water hyacinth ready for handcrafting is quite simple and involves only few steps-- A 1 metre long high stem is collected, cleaned and left to dry for 10-12 days. The stems are then treated with either sodium water or salt water and are dried for 2 more days. The process is complete when the stems are flattened by the flattening machine. The time taken to create these beautiful products would depend entirely on size. For example, laptop bags would generally take a week, whereas hats can be made in 4 days. Memosha stated that the actual time needed to complete handcrafting these products is much shorter, but as the activity is not full time for any of the members, as their days involved either farming or taking their children to school, handcrafting water hyacinth products is routinely done in the evenings in front of the TV.
For many years, it has been habitual within the Garo communities to use the handicraft friendly bamboo tree for creating various kinds of decorative items and products. However, the villagers of Purasinga have demonstrated that the water hyacinth plant can also compete in the markets as an innovative substitute. Its popularity has been growing tremendously and Memosha stated that to meet the demand, the group members have had to grow these plants in their own ponds and paddy fields. As of December 2018, the Chijonjang NaRM Group owns a power tiller, an auto rickshaw and a Bolero pick-up truck. They look forward to purchasing more machines that can help further improve and develop Purasinga’s unique handicraft activity.