75 & weaving hope: This bamboo artisan keeps Assam’s cottage legacy alive

Doomdooma, Jan 3: There are hands that grow tired with age, and then there are hands that defy time.

In a quiet corner of Rupai Siding near Doomdooma, 75-year-old Bidyadhar Bora continues to let his hands speak a language learnt in childhood – one carved in bamboo, sharpened by patience and polished by decades of silent perseverance.

“Who can take away the skill of the hands, the knowledge of all ten fingers?” – the old Assamese saying finds its living embodiment in Bora, a veteran cottage artisan who has spent nearly six decades breathing life into Assam’s traditional bamboo and cane craft.

In an era dominated by plastic, glass and factory-made goods, Bora’s world still resonates with the soft scrape of a dao on bamboo, the rhythm of creation flowing as naturally as breath.

From his modest home, everyday objects are born – dala, chalani, kharahi, baskets, kula, jakoi, khalai, dhari and countless other bamboo essentials that once formed the backbone of Assamese domestic life.

Each piece carries not just utility, but memory – of kitchens warmed by wood fire, of rivers fished with handmade tools, of a society once deeply rooted in nature’s offerings.

Bora’s journey with bamboo began at the tender age of 16. The first lessons came from his grandfather Dalim Bora, long before survival became a pressing concern.

A student of Chakalaghat High School in Nagaon, he was forced to abandon his studies in Class IX due to acute financial hardships. Ironically, despite possessing a strong command over English, destiny nudged him back to the age-old classroom of inherited skill and lived experience.

What followed was a lifetime of quiet labour. Markets across Tinsukia district once bore witness to his craftsmanship, where his handmade bamboo goods earned him modest but honest returns.

Through this traditional vocation, he sustained his family, and in his own unobtrusive way inspired others to view cottage industry not as a relic of the past but as a viable means of livelihood.

Even today, whenever a sliver of leisure appears in his routine, Bora instinctively reaches for his knife and bamboo strips. At 75, his movements remain precise, his concentration unwavering.

The products shaped by his hands continue to earn admiration across the region – testimony to skill honed by time rather than diminished by it.

Yet, despite nearly 60 years of dedication to indigenous craft, Bidyadhar Bora remains largely unseen by the system. Beyond an old-age pension, no government scheme has acknowledged his contribution.

His life’s work unfolds without applause, sustained only by personal resolve and cultural commitment.

At a time when unemployment stalks the State and countless educated youths struggle in search of work, Bora’s life tells a quieter, deeper story.

It speaks of self-reliance, dignity of labour and the enduring relevance of traditional skills. In his humble bamboo creations lies a powerful reminder – that development need not erase tradition, and that hope can still be woven, strip by strip, by steady hands that refuse to surrender.

In Bidyadhar Bora’s world, bamboo is not merely material – it is memory, livelihood and legacy. And as long as his hands continue their gentle dialogue with cane and fibre, Assam’s cottage industry still breathes.