On TTK Road, a group of people squat on the pavement and work with dexterous hands, beading bamboo curtains.  A miracle takes place before your eyes as the thin bamboo strips are transformed into classy curtains.

For the past 20 years, three families have been making a livelihood from this trade.  G Mohan who has been here for the past two decades (from his early teens), says, “Every day we come to work at this place from Teynampet, Vysarpadi and Red Hills. There are ten of us here and we divide the profits between the three families.  We get the ‘moongil’ (bamboo) from the ‘moongil vaadi’ (place where bamboo is sold), found in many places in the city. We buy the required quantity as we work only according to the orders placed”.

On an average it takes two days to finish a 5 by 5 (foot) bamboo screen, right from breaking the sticks to the finishing.  They can make screens of any length and upto a height of 15 feet.  First, the bamboo stems are broken into long pieces.  After which they are scraped clean and broken into even thinner sticks.  Then the sticks are segregated according to the quality of the screen.  The thicker sticks are used to make screens, which cost around Rs. 5 to Rs 10 per square foot.  The finer sticks are used for screens, which cost around Rs. 50 per square foot. 

Mohan says, “I can give a guarantee for the screen costing Rs. 5 to Rs 10 per square foot, for two years.  I can give a guarantee of ten years for the screens which cost Rs. 50 per square foot.  The long lasting screens have a classier look and are also easy to maintain. We also come home to take measurements for curtains, if the customer requests.  The peak season is summer when the ‘cuscus screens’ which are made with ‘vettiver’ (a kind of grass which has a cooling effect) are in demand”.