P. Sainath

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He was selling those ‘rain hats’ for just Rs. 60 a piece. No, he said, he hadn’t made them. He was only a small vendor who had bought the headgear and perhaps other goods from their actual creators – Adivasis up in the hills. This was along the borders of Ganjam and Kandhamal districts in Odisha – we ran into him in June 2009, just as the rains began.  Each hat – a delicately interlaced mesh of bamboo and leaves –was a work of art. If he was covering large distances on his cycle to sell them for 60 rupees, he had probably bought them for much less from the Adivasis.
 
 You can find variations of these hats – called
 
 palari
 
 in Ganjam (and
 
 chhatur
 
 in Kalahandi) across eastern India and in some East Asian countries too. We saw people in Odisha wearing them while working in the fields during the early showers, but they are also worn in other seasons.  Mostly, farmers in the fields, labourers, cowherds and shepherds wear these at work.  My friend and fellow traveller Purusottam Thakur said these were “the umbrellas of the poor.” They did have the contours of umbrellas of a bygone era. Whatever their purpose and seasonality, they were beautifully made.

Make in India – with bamboos and leaves

मेक इन इंडिया – बांबू आणि पानांची कारागिरी

বাঁহ-পাতেৰে মেক ইন ইণ্ডিয়া

‘ഇന്ത്യൻ നിർമ്മിതം‘ – മുളയും ഇലകളുംകൊണ്ട്

மூங்கில் மற்றும் இலைகளை வைத்து இந்தியாவிலே தயாரியுங்கள்

मेक इन इंडिया: बांस और पत्तों से बनी टोपियां

میک اِن انڈیا: بانس اور پتوں سے بنی ٹوپیاں

ବାଉଁଶ ଏବଂ ପତ୍ରରେ- ମେକ୍‌ ଇନ୍‌ ଇଣ୍ଡିଆ

বাঁশ ও পাতা দিয়ে তৈরি এক প্রকৃত ‘মেক ইন ইন্ডিয়া’ দ্রব্য

Ganjam

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Make in India – with bamboos and leaves

Farmers, labourers and shepherds in rural Odisha wear delicately woven ‘rain hats’ while working. Made by Adivasis, they’re sold by small vendors, who carry them on bicycles across long distances

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