To raise money for children’s weddings, a man weaves baskets

Dil Bahadur Shripali, a 52-year-old traditional family craftsman, has successfully married off three of his four children using his earnings from his traditional family business. Shripali, a skilled handicraft maker from Tatopani, believes government support for bamboo strips production for winnowing fans would be beneficial. Decorative baskets usually sell for at least Rs. 600, while certain pieces can sell for as much as Rs. 3,000 or Rs. 4,000, depending on their size.

According to Shripali, making a simple basket or container takes around two days, and some things don’t earn much money, but others do. He recently opened a business in Tatopani, and it is doing quite well. The artefacts are frequently purchased by tourists who come to the Tatopani hot springs to use at home or as décor. In comparison to rural areas, he discovers that the things sell for more money.