City students help Narikuravas get a new Identity

Initially, the project had just five women members from Kotturpuram. Now, they have engaged the Narikurava community from Thiruvanmiyur as well. “It all began with a simple visit to the Kotturpuram Narikurava community. They seemed just like any other underprivileged community, but none knew they were so skilled at making amazing jewellery. It was not just poverty that they’re facing but it was also a lack of identity. The visit was an eye-opener and was also the trigger to Nakuras. We started training the women from the community and within a year, all of them started earning decent money every week,” shares Sivaranjhani.

Narikurava community is one of the very few indigenous communities in India that still practice their traditions and are well connected to their roots. One thing that has constantly being passed on from generations is the skill to make jewellery. “Women from the community make beautiful seed bead jewellery. We have a collection of bead jewellery made by them. Every six months, we change the colour of the beads but the pattern they have developed remains the same. Now, professional designers conduct training for 15 women from both Kotturpuram and Thiruvanmiyur Narikurava communities. During the training, these women are introduced to new tools, techniques and jewellery intervention. They are innately talented but just needed a touch of modern style and a little fine-tuning.,” she adds.

Recently, the team hosted India’s first Narikurava Community online workshop for the public. “For the past few months, we were associated with Narikurava women from Kolli Hills. We taught them the possibility of online classes. They conducted an online workshop for the public where they taught how to make beaded jewellery. Most of the communities across Tamil Nadu have access to mainstream society, which has a huge impact on their lives. They all are well connected to their culture but are preys to poverty and social discrimination. Through our various initiatives, we are giving them a platform to reach the mainstream market,” sums up Sivaranjhani.