Chingoli — the litter collectors who make weddings glitter
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Kochi: It was an idea born out of a vision to reduce the use of plastic waste at public functions. It nudged a group of seven women from humble backgrounds in Alappuzha district to take up the task of creating decorations using coconut palm leaves.
Marykutty, Sarala, Sobhana, Sajitha, Lakshmi, Suja S and Thankamani Vijayan — all in the 40-60 age group, learned the basic lessons of palm leaf craft two years ago by watching YouTube.
They now make decorations for weddings, temple festivals, housewarming functions and other events. Goddess Lakshmi, Lord Ganapathy, roaring lion, peafowl, timid swan, arch, lantern and bouquet made of palm leaves attract people's attention at many places in Alappuzha nowadays.
The seven members of the group Chingoli — which is also the name of the panchayat they belong to — are part of Haritha Karma Sena engaged by the local body to collect plastic waste from households and shops in the area.
"A training programme of a self-help group was held in our area to give us an insight into what can be done to reduce plastic waste. We thought why not use coconut palm leaves which are plentiful in Kerala. We started exploring avenues to learn the basics of palm leaf craft.
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We eventually sought YouTube's help and improved our skills through practice. We started off with decorations at small events in the panchayat. People, especially those who are conscious of plastic waste pollution, started approaching us.
We do not have any promotional activities, there is only word of mouth publicity," said Suja S, 56, who along with others engages in waste collection and segregation for 15 days a month.
Chingoli normally receives at least two orders monthly. The group uses both tender and matured palm leaves, which give distinct white and green colours to the decor. With the support of a carpenter, they make a prototype of the figures in plywood, which are also sustainable.
"We fasten the palm leaf shapes onto the plywood frame using a stapler. We cut the leaves or twist them depending on the décor's style. The decor has many takers now. We got two back-to-back works from two temples in a week in April this year for Rs 75,000. We have a major order for decorating a stage for a big wedding function in Nov," said Suja.
They hope more people will come forward to use eco-friendly decorations instead of plastic decorations during festival and wedding seasons.
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