Designs of the future

Oct. 29: From being poor man’s timber and a sturdy grass that grows in abundance by the wayside, bamboo has invaded living rooms, kitchens, offices, wardrobes and even fashion shows across the country.

Reason enough for Nagaon, whose economy depends largely on the “green gold”, to build a museum dedicated to bamboo.

“We are going to establish a bamboo museum in the heart of Nagaon district headquarters. The National Mission on Bamboo Applications has agreed to release Rs 20 lakh for the museum showcasing various products made by bamboo-related cottage industries,”

Nagaon deputy commissioner J. Balaji said. “This will be the first of its kind in the state.”

He said the expertise for setting up the bamboo museum has been obtained from specialists and government officials have been sent out to gather unique bamboo products that can be showcased in the museum.

More than seven varieties of bamboo are found in the jungles and household gardens of Nagaon and Morigaon. The Hindusthan Paper Corporation’s Jagiroad unit is a major bamboo buyer from the two central Assam districts.

With the humble grass proving to be a good building base and a flexible raw material for handicraft items, bamboo has emerged as a supplier’s dream.

The museum at Nagaon is part of the National Mission on Bamboo Applications’ efforts to “enlarge” the bamboo sector to help augment employment opportunities in the state.

The mission will focus on value-addition and commercialisation of bamboo products, besides developing technologies for entrepreneurial projects.

Balaji said the district is also working on a plan to make maximum use of forest space to grow bamboo, commercial wood and medicinal plants.

The forest department planted bamboo on 595 hectares in different parts of central Assam’s Nagaon and Morigaon districts under a special project, with financial assistance from the National Mission on Bamboo Application. Each hectare requires an investment of Rs 25,000.

“We have engaged 14 joint forest management committees from Morigaon and Nagaon for the plantations. Nagaon’s Salona range is at the top of the list after completing 265 hectares of bamboo plantation,” said Nagaon divisional forest officer Aftab Ahmed.

The National Afforestation Programme, the Forest Village Development Scheme and the Special Bamboo Plantation Programme have also been working on bamboo projects for the past couple of years.