Champua: No work is big or small. Believing this principle, a tribal community of Balisahi, Sasank village under Rajia panchayat under Champua block in Keonjhar district has embraced manufacturing and selling of gardening water cans.
They have been in this business of producing water cans for the last couple of years and, according to them, they have never thought of switching to another occupation as some do when they face problems in their occupation.
Despite being from the lower rung of the society, they have taken up the manufacturing of gardening water cans as their family tradition which has now given them an identity.
They can be seen religiously working all throughout the year except for three months of rainy season. They start working as early as 9.00am and continue till sunset.
Despite the presence of several modern agricultural equipments in markets, this gardening water can has retained its utility.
For manufacturing such cans, they require lead for soldering, rivet, acid, copper and some other materials. A family can manufacture maximum three to four such cans in a day. They then carry their finished products to weekly markets or daily markets. Traders also procure these cans directly from their houses. They sell a can for Rs 250 to 300.
However, they rue that they are not getting profits as they used to get in the past.
“To manufacture three water cans, five empty oil tins are required. Earlier, we would get an empty oil tin for Rs 10 to 15. Now, we are paying two times more. Copper has also become costlier. Yet we are happy with our occupation as it provides earning all throughout the year.
During the rainy season, the demand for gardening water can comes down which is why we stop working during rainy season. But the money we have earned and saved will see us through these three months of lean period,” says Manoj Munda, a villager.
PNN
