This week we met Dr Manju Vasudevan and her organisation Forest Post which sells hair, body and home products made with ingredients foraged from the forest by tribal women.
We met many women who work with Forest Post. I was very excited to get to know them and share our stories; this excitement was balanced by my nervousness about communication with them since we do not speak the same language.
The first thing we did this week was to meet with a group of tribal women who weave bamboo into products like mats and book marks. Their journey to our meeting point was not easy, interrupted by an elephant on the path. I was very grateful and glad that they made it! We watched them weave and tried our hand at it while also introducing ourselves and chatting. Their expert weaving skills were very impressive; it made me reflect on my lack of practical skills.
The rest of the week we met another group of women who work in the Forest Post soap and balm manufacturing building. They were so friendly, and there was a mutual interest in each others’ lives. I really enjoyed getting stuck in with producing and packaging products, I was very grateful for the support they gave me in trying to figure out the tricky wrapping process for the soaps. We all sat for lunch together and they let us try some of their food and we ours. I went home feeling so content and happy after that day.
We had our first mini-consulting presentation on Thursday and made our notes and PowerPoint on Wednesday. I felt the pressure to ensure the presentation was to a high standard because I really resonated with Forest Post’s mission in giving women financial empowerment, business skills training and informing them about the value of their work. Overall I think the presentation went well, especially how we worked together as a group and gathered our recommendations but it would be better if we had practiced some more.
The last day of our week we went back to the warehouse to meet Pooja Jayan who runs a eco printing business. She uses leaves to imprint stains on cloths for garments such as sarees. It was really cool to see the process and be able to lay out some leaves to make a CraftHER 2025 design! I was really interested in what inspired Pooja to make the business; she said it was partly due to the fact that lots of modern dying practices are harmful to the dyers and planet and an interest in the process.
A highlight of the week: This week gave me confidence in non-verbal communication, showed me how I can express meaning and kindness to people not with my words. We took lots of photos together and laughed so much (partly about our huge height difference). I also learned some small phrases in Malayalam, it was nice to speak directly to each other rather than through Durga or Preetha translating for me. I am looking forward to learning more Malayalam throughout the rest of the project.
A lesson of the week: I found this week quite emotional as I heard stories from the craftswomen about the impacts of tourism and climate change on their forest. The impacts extended to massive changes in elephant behaviour; stressed and angry elephants became very dangerous to them and that meant that they could not do things that were important and special to them, like walking in the forest at night or travelling for holidays in the forest. Even on the days when we met they had to leave before dark because of the dangers. I found their bravery and positivity so inspiring, but I am so disturbed by the injustice of these people who have lived alongside the forest and animals as stewards for generations, being harmed by it while everyone else’s lives remain unaffected. In the modern commercial world, we consume wildlife like something to pick up, look at, put down, and return home, unlike the tribal communities who are woven into the forest through dependence, respect, ancestral roots and a million more things.