If the falling tiger population leaves you feeling helpless, we suggest you connect with Dhonk, where tiger poachers from Ranthambhore have taken up new avatars, as eco-friendly handicraft makers
If the falling tiger population leaves you feeling helpless, we suggest you connect with Dhonk, where tiger poachers from Ranthambhore have taken up new avatars, as eco-friendly handicraft makers
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Chumbdis made from woven strands of grass rope and covered with cloth, beads and chamkis |
A typical morning for nutritionist-turned-entrepreneur Divya Khondal (27) is interrupted by a knock on her door by a few Mogya tribal women. As the day progresses, a steady stream keeps pouring in. Belonging to a community of traditional poachers, these women trudge 7 km daily to earn their day's share of work.
It could range from basic embroidering for a dupatta to sewing sitaris (chamkis) on the chumbdi used by rural women to carry water pitchers on their head. These women work for Dhonk, a company that Khondal founded in February 2010, which provides employment to womenfolk of the notorious Mogya community.
Currently, Khondal employs 15 (including eight Mogya women, five village women and two tailors) who operate out of her garage or from under the mango tree in her courtyard, near the Ranthambhore National Park.
The initiative to rehabilitate the community was the brainchild of NGO Tiger Watch, who felt that if the tribal community were employed, they would be less prone to return to their earlier vocation. However, as the NGO was more focused on research and lacked the manpower and marketing skills, they needed someone to handle it, full-time.
Khondal, who grew up in Mumbai but shifted to Ranthambhore after marrying conservation biologist at Tiger Watch, Dharmendra Khondal, decided to pool in her savings and start Dhonk. The company is named after the prolifically growing deciduous tree in Rajasthan, known for its adaptability to the harsh desert weather. This, Khondal adds, is symbolic of the Mogya community who reside across Rajasthan, MP and UP. She also ensures a part of the profits earned by Dhonk goes to Tiger Watch.
"We ensure these women do simple work with a definite value addition to every product. The Mogyas are nomad hunter-gatherers who add to their income by guarding farmers' fields. Sometimes, they find even basic stitching or sitting at the same place for long to be a tough task. So we have flexible timings where they alternate between working for a few hours at my home and their home," states Khondal. Incidences of Mogya women disappearing for weeks together, remaining incommunicado led her to employ several village women who are "more committed to delivering results on time". The two Rajasthani tailors she employs add finesse to the products.
"We don't ask for funds but welcome sewing machines and volunteering. For example, an NIFT student contributed tiger tattoo designs for our upcoming range of T-shirts," she adds. She is currently working at collaborating with stores across India to stock Dhonk products.
Range of ProductsDhonk makes washable cotton products including bandhej (bandhani) dupattas with chamkis (Rs 350 to Rs 1,000), which take four days to stitch and over a week to tie, dye and dry. They also make cotton mobile pouches and purses decorated with ghungroos (Rs 90), colourful pen stands and fruit baskets made from agricultural waste and leftover cloth (Rs 100 to Rs 300), patchwork bed sheets and quilts (Rs 2,000), canvas tea coasters (Rs 300 to Rs 500) as well as khadi jackets and kurtas (Rs 800 to Rs 1,000). The woven grass rope chumbdi has also been transformed into artsy wall hangings (Rs 300 onwards), including some, made from crochet. The Mogyas boast of a unique method of painting on brown mud walls by using white powder and twigs as a brush. In fact, an Iranian designer who's a volunteer replicates this design on greeting cards (Rs 30).
Log on to: www.scribd.com/doc/26933820/Dhonk-Saving-the-tiger-NOWCall: 09166167005
Email: dhonkcraft@gmail.com
