A ‘choolapookkalam’ by visually challenged women for Onam

Project ‘Choolala’ has 15 visually challenged women making designer brooms

Their hands move gingerly as they pick thick yarn from a mound before them. Slowly, they weave it through a small malleable metal frame. At times, they miss a wire. Once the frame is woven, they insert a short dried palm leaf through the loops. Finally the metal frame is folded around the sticks and a neat broom is ready.

The 15 women are working on the verandah of Kerala Federation of the Blind Rehabilitation Centre for Women. “It takes them a day to complete a frame,” says social entrepreneur Lakshmi Menon who introduced project ‘Choolala’ or making of designer brooms. Ms. Menon is the founder of Pure Living that works toward finding sustainable livelihood solutions. The women live in the organisation’s hostel on Pothanicad Chathamattom Road in Ernakulam. “Earlier the women were weaving plastic tape in wooden chairs, which was laborious and took almost three to four days to complete,” says Ms. Menon. “This is faster and easier on their fingers. They can weave as many as 15 to 20 pieces in a day.”

She admits that there are visible imperfections in the weave but “this irregularity is the beauty. It has to be appreciated and not thought of as a mistake.” Ms. Lakshmi has been instrumental in creating innovative products such as ammoommathiri (wicks made by grandmothers) and chekutty dolls.

The brooms come in different sizes and will be used to make a ‘choolapookkalam’ on Onam, she says. The name ‘Choolala’ has a fun element in it and talks about elevating the broom that is considered an object to be hidden behind doors into a hip item of display. ‘Choolala’ is a play on the words chool, which means broom in Malayalam and ‘Oh la la’ from a well-known film song. “ We are elevating the regular broom into an artisanal broom category, which is a much valued and niche segment. It will not only be a sign of the work done by our visually challenged sisters but also of the colour it has added to their lives.”

The product will have a Braille version of the logo, and priced at ₹499, will be retailed online.