Banana, as known to everyone is a gigantic herb, a fruit crop, is cultivated worldwide, India stands one among the largest for cultivation of Banana.
In India Banana as a fruit and Banana leaf as a bio degradable plates are used heavily, but its stem is thrown out after extracting the leaf & fruit in major part of the country. Few villages like Anegundi have resources to extract fibers out of banana stem, which reduces the wastage of natural resource and minimizes agricultural garbage. It also gives out an additional income per acre for farmers.
Banana fibers are Eco-friendly, odor free, grease proof, water, fire & heat resistant and are one hundred percent bio degradable, it has a good tensile strength and can be spun like a thick rope to thin thread, many a times it is also blended with other fibers like cotton, which is highly durable & wearable fabric.
Anegundi, is a village in Gangavathi taluk, Koppal district, Karnataka. It is older than Hampi situated on the northern bank of Tungabhadra River, anegundi has a lot of mythological and historical links to it, it is believed to be the birth place of monkey god, Hanuman & it was also the first capital of Vijayanagara Empire & several other dynasties which came into existence after Vijayanagara Empire. There are still ruins and temples of Vijayanagara Empire located across different corners of anegundi. People of anegundi are multicultural and have taken the initiative, along with other non-profit bodies to rejuvenate the village of its culture and rich historical background, and make it a tourist friendly village.
The innovation in banana craft in anegundi had started in recent years, since then it has never stopped, it provides much necessary employment to local villagers, people, especially women’s, regardless of cast have been working with the help of non-profit bodies in producing products like, hat, basket, purse, bags, made of banana fiber, many women’s are profited due to it and it also adds an extra source of income for local banana plantation farmers, as the raw material, banana stem, which would usually be thrown away is purchased from these farmers.
