”I am from Guntur. I learnt the art of basketry from my parents. It is an ancestral craft inherited by the entire family. We wake up at 5 am every day to collect raw materials and work hard till the dusk to make these buttas. Men and women have their own share of duties. While the women procure the raw material, the men in the family put them together and give it a shape. We come up with various designs. We put in a lot of creativity besides hard work but unlike the old times, people these days have no appreciation for this craft. With the receding interest in handmade baskets, we are struggling to make our ends meet. Every night, we go to sleep with a hope that one day, people will start showing interest in our craft and our good-old-days resume.”

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