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Still happy after 40
years of weaving cane
Text
and Pix by Randima Attygalle
His humble push-cycle with bundles of cane strips
tied to its sides and worn-out bag of equipment, will certainly
not tell a story of a contented ‘weaver’ at first glance.
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“Life can be hard at times with cane
prices soaring, yet I don’t grumble and I have work round
the year to keep my mind and hands busy,” says smiling Chandradasa
Mendis from Bokundara, Piliyandala- a seasoned cane-weaver with
almost 40 years of experience to his credit.
Mansions of the elite names in the country, corporate sector and
luxury hotels have received Mendis’ ‘weaving’
touch. “My trade prospers mainly by word of mouth”,
says Mendis whose customers are eager to recommend him either to
a neighbour or a friend to mend an age-old chair or a complete set
of living room-cane furniture.
Inspired by the work of his father, a cane weaver himself, the young
man soon grasped the techniques of the trade that extended from
repairing of cane products to production. “Like any other
vocation, this too is an art that has to be mastered with time and
practice,” explains Mendis whose quick fingers moving rapidly
on a sofa or a chair is indeed a fascinating sight.
He says the durability of a cane product lies mainly in the quality
of the cane and the design of the particular item. “In the
case of cane and wood mixed furniture, such as sofas, arm chairs
and divans, the strength depends on the number of joints (thauwa)
which binds the cane to the wooden frame and the space between them,”
he explains adding that the maturity of the cane too is vital.
Distinguishing natural cane from artificial or plastic, Mendis says,
“the natural cane we get from Polonnaruwa is cooling, eco-friendly
and more costly than plastic cane which is imported.” According
to him, the local cane-weaving industry is a specialised craft as
all aspects of it are exclusively done by hand. “Unlike in
many industrialised countries where woven cane is fixed to the structure
with aid of machinery, our industry is devoid of it,” he said
adding that equipment used by local artisans is light.
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