Chennai basket makers ride trend revival

Once a staple of school lunch bags, wire baskets have recently seen a fashion comeback. They are now even being seen as work bags. This resurgence in trend has been a boon for street basket makers, who have become a steady source of income.

Indrani (fondly known as Indrani Pati), who lives on Five Furlong Road in Guindy, dreams of selling her baskets all over the world, especially her trademark rich pink bougainvillea baskets. For decades, she was a flower seller before switching to basket weaving. “I’ve been doing this for six years now. I used to go to the market at dawn to buy and sell flowers, but I can’t do that anymore. So, I learnt to weave baskets to make a living. I sell my baskets for between Rs 120 and Rs 600.”

‘Struggle’

Ramya U, a disabled trader, has been making and selling wire baskets at Agaram junction for the past five years. “I have made over 1,000 different types of baskets, including biscuit baskets and sivan kan, but my favourite is the Nellikai Khudai (Amala knotted basket). It is hard work to weave but I feel a sense of satisfaction when I finish it.”

Ramya’s cart is lined with everything from aquamarine baskets to gold poppies, and she is always weaving something new. She now makes custom baskets for families in her neighborhood for temple visits. “I am self-taught and have been happy to see my sales increase recently. When I started this craft, I never expected there to be stiff competition among basket sellers, so I am always coming up with new colour combinations and patterns,” she says.

Making baskets with knots that look simple is actually no more than a stroll in the sun; it takes up most of the day for the couple. “We start weaving baskets after getting our children ready for school. It takes us a full day to complete one basket, which costs Rs 200 each. To make a bigger basket, it takes two days, including other household chores. But this work has made us feel more confident, even if we earn little,” says Ramya.

Twice a day

Indrani makes two small baskets a day but hopes for bigger orders. “If there is an event at someone’s house, I can make around 100 baskets in a month as return gifts because I do everything myself, from wiring to creating the designs and finishing the baskets.”

Ramya and Indrani each sell baskets of different colours and face different joys and challenges, but they both share the same belief that every hour they spend on their craft is tied to their commitment to supporting their families. Indrani says that trends will come and go and baskets will once again be labelled “outdated”, but the timeless appeal of handmade crafts of any kind will remain.