Bamboo and cane craft

Crafts chiseled out of wood are elegant and add royalty to the place whenever these crafts are placed. However, ever growing demand for these wood craft including the wooden furniture has increased the risk to our environment.  Eco friendly people are now moving to alternatives like bamboo and cane. Furniture like stools, chairs, tables, sofas,  couches, beds, shoe racks, bookshelves etc made out of cane and bamboo are widely available in the Indian markets.
Apart from furniture, bamboo and canes are used to make various other products which are used as decoratives and in household use. Unbelievable but true, canes and bamboos are used to make variety of products including Jewelry, purses, bags, lamp shades, mats,  baskets, trays and statues. Skilled artisans creatively transform a normal bamboo to a valuable product and this craft  is not confined to any particular state of the our country. Every state of our country specializes in this craft and each state has its own peculiar style. Assam state has abundance of bamboo resource. Bamboo in this state is an integral part of their social, cultural and traditional life. Household items, jewelery, fishing implements, baskets, houses, fences are all made of bamboo here. Another state Arunachal Pradesh is famous for Cane baskets which are used to carry rice, bamboo bridges and cane belts. Orissa is famous for items made from golden grass. Famed mats made of Kora grass is the contribution from Tamilnadu state. Kerala is also famous for the delicate mats while Manipur is famous for its dome shaped type baskets.
Cane crafts can easily be made without any special equipments. First the bamboo is heated so that it can be molded easily with hand to give shape. Strips of bamboo are slit and are woven together to give the desired shape. They are attached using glue or nails. Finally a coat of lacquer is applied to give the polished and lustrous look. Cane and bamboo furniture are not only Eco friendly but are also aesthetically appealing.  Bamboo furniture are not very expensive and along with other features like Light weight, low maintenance, Eco friendliness and attractive looks, they have become popular with rich and elite and commoners alike.