Hyderabad: Craftsmen who make bamboo baskets and bamboo curtains at Ajanta Gate of Numaish Grounds are now busy making paper and plastic flower ‘Bathukammas’.
The ten-day Bathukamma programs and Navratri events in the city are now a source of high remuneration for the 50-odd families who stay at the shanties abutting the Exhibition Grounds at Nampally.
All through the year, the craftsmen make bamboo baskets and bamboo curtains. “During Dasara, for the past two years, we have been making Bathukamma, using paper flowers and plastic flowers. People cannot go out and buy fresh flowers every day so instead they are purchasing artificial ones. The shelf life of the paper Bathukamma is more than the one made using natural flowers,” said Shravanthi, who makes different sizes of Bathukamma.
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Over a period of time, the paper and plastic variety gained acceptance from the people due to different reasons such as expensive flowers, lack of availability of flowers in local markets and the time consumed in preparing at Bathukamma using original flowers. “The practice of making it using original flowers is restricted to villages now where there are no alternatives such as plastic or paper-made Bathukamma,” said Deepika, a teenager who assisted her mother in making it.
The Bathukamma is used as a decorative piece at stores and social gatherings in the city. “People keep big Bathukamma, in a big establishment for decoration purposes,” said Eshwar, a craftsman.
A Bathukamma of four feet height is sold for Rs 1500 while the larger ones are sold for a higher price.
The craftsmen make the effigy of Ravana that is set on fire at the Dasara festival on public grounds. The price depends upon the size of the effigy and usually is made on orders. It is priced around Rs 10,000 to Rs 25,000.
