Risida: Fishing activities are in full swing at villages in Karlamunda block of Kalahandi district as water bodies including rivers, rivulets and ponds are teeming with fish.
With the monsoon comes the fishing season every year. Villagers can be seen getting their fishing equipment like nets and fishing rods ready. Another device locally known as ‘khainchi’, is also in high demand during this season.
Villagers flocked Saturday weekly market here to buy this device. It is available in different shapes and sizes. Thin raw bamboo sticks are held together by strings of a particular tree and the final products take either rectangular or conical shape. Their prices differ according to their shapes and sizes. While a-three-ft ‘khainchi’ is being sold at Rs 200 and a six-ft one is sold for Rs 600.
To catch fish using this device, no specific expertise is required, locals say. The device is only required to be fixed in a small opening on the bund of a water-filled farmland to let excess water pass through it. In the process fish get stuck in the device.
Phatamunda and Bhirakapada are two hamlets where the local communities are known for making ‘khainchi’ during the fishing season. They sell other bamboo articles to earn a living on other days.
However, their traditional business is not as encouraging as it used to be a few years back. They are facing problems in getting bamboo, the chief raw material for their product, thanks to frequent checks and raids by the forest department.
The bamboo artisans demand government help to keep their tradition alive.
PNN