BAMFEST 2005 (2nd International North East India Bamboo Festival)

Bamboo today contributes to the subsistence needs of over a billion people, and has played a significant role in human society since time immemorial. Traditional uses as varied as fuel, food, housing and shelter, tools, and music comprise but a part of the broad spectrum of bamboo use. At the same time, equally important are bamboo's industrial uses and its potential role in mankind's future. Bamboo for pulp and paper, construction and engineering materials, panel products, and an array of modern uses are becoming better known. To better realise these new uses and to benefit the communities where the resource base and the traditions of use are well rooted, a number of development issues must be addressed. Resource mobilisation and management, technology and processing, policy, and international education and cooperation must be emphasised in developing a future for bamboo as the timber of the 21st century.

The North East of India is a region that is abundant in natural resources. It is also home to two-thirds of India's total resources of Bamboo. Touted as the "poor man's timber", bamboo has today been acknowledged as the principal substitute for timber. The North-Eastern region of India has the greatest concentration of cane and bamboo in the country. The raw stock is valued at around Rs. 5,000 crore. With suitably feasible schemes of value additions of even just about two times, approximately Rs. 10,000 crore can be easily generated in the North East alone on an annual basis. Even for a moment, assuming that one is able to utilise only about 25 per cent of the resource base, the North East can easily generate Rs. 2,500 crore a year.

With the objective of highlighting the role that bamboo can play in alleviating poverty, generating employment, contributing to the environment and promoting,tourism, the Second North East Bamboo Festival is being organised from May 02 — 04, 2005 at Shillong by the Cane and Bamboo Technology Centre, Guwahati in collaboration with the Government of Meghalaya. The N EH HDC, M H HDC, IFAD, GTZ, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India will be supporting the Festival. The North Eastern Council, Shillong will facilitate the holding of the Festival.

This Festival has also been accorded recognition by the World Bamboo Organisation (WBO) as an International Event in their Charter.

Highlights of the Bamboo Festival

1. Bamboo and cane Craft exhibition
2. Food festival
3. Bamboo music festival
4. Bamboo cultural programmes of different tribes
5. Bamboo Tourism/ Field visits
6. Workshops on rural housing/product design/training and entrepreneurship/tools and equipments /poster and essay competitions
7. Traditional knowledge on bamboo and customary usages
8. Bamboo games and sports

Introduction: Although bamboo and cane have been integral to the culture and economics of many people in India, they are being 'rediscovered' in recent years. Their attributes and potential are progressively being recognised.

At the State Government level, it is the Governments of the North East, which have the greatest interest and the most stakes in the development of the sector. The comparative advantage in primary resources is only one element contributing to their interest. Their cultural and traditional associations with the material, confidence in their own skills, the lack of -alternative vehicles for stimulating economic activity in the region are equally important factors.

The North Eastern Region of India is a place where bamboo has its "roots" and "shoots". It holds the largest reserves of bamboo in the world. Given this fact, it is no wonder that the people of the region take bamboo for granted. From cradle to coffin and from houses to bridges, bamboo plays a pivotal role in the daily life of each and every individual without anyone of them ever realising the fact that without bamboo life may cease to exist, at least in this region. People here have used it from time immemorial. But as it often happens, the fact remains that bamboo has been taken for granted and little thought has ever been given to its vast potential. Bamboo is like a golden thread that has been woven into the culture of the North East.

BAM FEST is a concept, which will be carried forward in the years to come. This is the Second North East Bamboo Festival. In the years to come, similar shows need to be organised at different locations all over the North Eastern Region and can even be held outside the region, if resources permit.

Objectives                                           

• Revival of traditional crafts of the region

• To highlight local customs and usage of bamboo

• To exhibit the capabilities and export potential of craftspeople, who are involved with processing and semi-processing of bamboo

• To forge closer linkages and networking amongst craftspeople from the different States through exchange and sharing of experience

• To discuss common issues for adopting newer technologies in the field of craftsmanship

• To provide a brand-name and a common platform to the crafts groups from the North East

• To generate awareness about the cane and bamboo sector, which is largely ignored by the market

• To help project bamboo as the essential substitute for timber in the years to come