Nomadic father-son basket weavers to star in Tovino’s film Pallichattambi

Kudayathoor: Arumugham and Bhagavathi Raju, the father-son duo from Theni in Tamil Nadu, are happy to portray their occupation - weaving using bamboo reeds - on the silver screen. They are currently actors in Tovino Thomas's new movie Pallichattambi.

This nomadic father and son earn a living by wandering around to collect bamboo reeds and make baskets even during heavy rains. They also climb mountains and forests for the same. This time when they visited Kanjar to collect reeds, the film crew approached them saying they needed people who knew how to cut reeds. They agreed, and this made them enter the world of cinema. The movie shooting is progressing near Vayanakkavu.

Previously, the duo came to Kerala only during particular seasons. But now they are mostly here, cutting bamboo reeds and weaving baskets out of it is the only activity engaged. They return home when he gets Rs 3000. Arumugham's wife Panchavarnam, Bhagavathi's wife Saranya, and their children, Abhinaya and Vetrimaran, are in Tamil Nadu.

Since the time of Arumugham's father, they have been making a living by weaving baskets and roaming to sell them. Kulamavu was their center of work. 20 families were also engaged in this job then. Due to the rise of COVID-19, 18 families gave up this job. Arumugham and his family decided to continue because they didn't want to lose their tradition, and they also knew of nothing else to earn a job.

Previously, they used to come here during January and February (during Kappavattu season). Now, this process has also become rare. With the advent of plastic baskets, the demand for bamboo reed baskets diminished in the market. Since ancient times, they used to camp in Kanjar to cut reeds from places like Chakkikkavu, Anchiri, and Anakayam.