Woodcraft traders, artisans in Pune struggle to carve out a stable future

PUNE: The traditional woodcrafters in the city, who once flourished with their intricate carvings and a wide array of toys and household products, are finding it hard to keep up with the competition. Of the 25 craftsmen that were based in and around

Bohri Ali

, only one continues to run his store today.

Bohri Ali shops are now flooded with Chinese products that replaced wooden items, driving craftsmen out of work. “The old-school craftsmen have vanished. Many passed away and ended their legacy with them as the younger generations didn’t take up the same occupation. Others gave up on the craft and moved on to wood trading at the Timber Market,” explained Sapna Thakur of

Baburao S Thakur

, a woodcrafts workshop established about 115 years ago.

Thakur’s family came to Pune from

Kathiawar

to engage in the erstwhile thriving woodcraft industry.

“We have been making the palang (bed) for the

Tuljapur

temple for all these years. Besides this, we were manufacturing a variety of toys and exercise items that were in high demand back in the day. These included gilli danda, tops (bhowra), mudgal and many more. However, as the demand dropped miserably, we had to stop making these items,” she said.

Other shopkeepers agreed that wooden products, especially toys, were no more on customers’ lists.

According to Thakur, the plastic ban may not really help revive the craft. “Products made using a variety of materials are being introduced in the market every other day. These are sold at much cheaper rates. Wooden items are costlier, especially the handmade products. Therefore, the craft may not see a boost under such cut-throat competition,” she lamented.

Thakur further added that the machine-made wooden products have also led to the downfall of the craft.

“Today, a small acupressure equipment that we make using sagwan (teak) wood would cost about Rs500, while a similar machine-produced item would cost only about Rs50. People prefer to purchase the cheaper variant. So is the case of small wooden temples (

Devhara

) for homes. Hours of effort go into crafting one model which is priced at Rs10,000 or more. But the machine-made temples or those made out of granite are easily available at cheaper rates in the market,” she said.