Some time ago, a plain cotton kurta being sold by the Gucci brand for 2.5 lakh rupees was in the news. Many people also trolled it on social media. However, this is not the first time that an Indian traditional item has become a trend abroad. Earlier in the 90s, ‘Bindi’ has also become a part of western trend. During that time, the price of a pack of bindis available in India for 10-20 rupees had gone up to 500-700 rupees abroad.
Similarly, natural loofahs made by drying luffa in Indian homes are sold abroad for more than Rs 1,500. Today there are many such things, which are a symbol of tradition, culture and art in India. Which are being used by common Indians in their daily lifestyle for hundreds of years. But these things are a new trend in foreign countries and people there are adopting them according to their need and convenience. Now one more name is included in this list and that is the bunk.
The cots used for sitting and sleeping in India and many countries of Asia like Pakistan, Afghanistan have also made their place abroad in the last few years. The history of bunk beds here goes back thousands of years, but for foreigners, it is an eco-friendly alternative to steel, iron or plastic beds. Which looks beautiful and comfortable. In India, you will get to see the trend of bunk in many states. Especially that in rural areas. It is known by different names in different states, such as Khat, Khatiya, Manji or Matcha etc.
It is said that when the famous Moroccan traveler and scholar, Ibn Battuta came to attend the court of Sultan Mohammed bin Tughlaq of Delhi, many Indian things influenced him – dance, music, royal cuisine, paan, coconut, mango etc. . The name of the bunk is also included in this list. He wrote, “Beds in India are very light.” He further wrote, “A single man can lift it and every traveler must have it, which can be carried by his slave on his head. It consists of four conical legs/payas, on which are laid four patties, the middle is weaved with silk or yarn. And when you lay on it, you don’t need anything else, because it’s already flexible.”
bunk one job multiple
In the villages, in the courtyard of the house, the bedsheets are laid on the cots and on top of this grains, pulses, papads and mangoes are dried for pickles. Sometimes the bunk also acts as a wall or curtain, and sometimes it is also useful for drying clothes etc. You will find many forms of this in the houses of the village. For example, small cots are made for children, which are also called Khatola or Machiya.
In earlier times, making bunk beds was an art. Firstly, a good amount of wood was selected for this, so that its pies and patties could be made. The bunk, as the name suggests, has four legs and four legs. Cots or cots were prepared by weaving them with cotton or jute twine or jewelry. In many places, instead of throwing away old clothes, they were cut into ropes and then machiya or cots were woven from it. I still remember my childhood days, when we used to live in the village.
In a year or two, Papa used to call artisans and get the cots and matches prepared. Especially when there is a wedding in the house or guests are going to come on a special event. Because it used to be a custom to make guests sit on new cots. Those artisans sometimes took one day and sometimes two days to prepare a cot. The time and cost were determined by the design of the bunk weave. The more finely and neatly the weave, the higher the price.
However, the use of the bunk that influenced Ibn Battuta has waned among the people of India. Nowadays, what about in the cities, the trend of bunk beds in the villages has started ending. The reason for this is that man has prepared many such things for his convenience, on which hard work is done only once. Like beds, you can buy them once and use them for years. At the same time, in the bunk, you have to get weaving again in a few years. Because of this, the work has also reduced for the artisans who run their homes by making the first cots. Plus, there are now a variety of bunk options available in the market made of plastic and nylon.
India’s pride is increasing abroad
Cots may not be a new thing for Indians, but it is a completely new concept in countries like America, Australia, which is becoming famous among them for the last few years. In 2017, a poster pasted on a wall in Australia went viral on the internet. Because, in this poster an Australian citizen had advertised a bunk. Under the picture of the bunk, he wrote that this bunk made of ancient Indian design is 100% ‘Made in Australia’. And he had kept its price at $ 990.
SBS Punjabi spoke to this man named Daniel BluRay, he told that during a trip to India in 2010, he had seen the bunk for the first time. He found it very comfortable and after returning to his country he thought of making a cot for himself. He built a cot first for himself and then for a friend. He got appreciation for his work, so he thought of doing business with it and started advertising it. His advertisement went viral on the internet as soon as he saw it. Because, hardly any Indian would have thought that our country bunk can be sold at a price of 50-60 thousand rupees. But, it is possible!
However, the good thing is that now many Indian companies are exporting ‘Made in India’ bunk beds abroad. Ramesh Jangid, Co-Founder of Doxey brand, Jaipur, says, “We started our company about three-four years ago, through which we are making bunk, machiya and bench etc. available to the customers. We have done some innovation in our products so that we can work according to the foreign markets. For example, along with the bunk and machiya, we are also making benches, which can be used to seat three people. We are getting most of our business from the US, Canada and Mexico.”
Their bunk beds sell for $800-900 overseas, and even a small seating area costs more than $100. Jangid says, “There is more awareness among foreigners towards art and eco-friendly things. That’s why they love hand-made bunk beds using natural ingredients. It is our endeavor to deliver the best quality products to them.” Through his startup, he has given work to 10-12 artisans. He hopes that as the business grows, he will be able to employ more people.
Many more organizations are involved in saving the culture of bunk in their own way. For example, Skilled Samaritan Foundation is emphasizing on creating new products by changing the design of the bunk according to the modern people. So that the house of the artisans associated with this work continues and we pass on this thousands of years old art to the coming generations. Because if we do not pay attention to our traditional things, then tomorrow we will also have to buy cots from a foreign brand for lakhs.
Editing – G N Jha
Also read: Foreigners are getting influenced by Indian culture, ‘Toran’ is being sold for thousands of rupees
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