Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday highlighted the ‘Karthumbi’ umbrella, crafted by tribal women in Kerala, during his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ radio program. This umbrella brand, started in 2014, is produced in Attappadi, located in Kerala’s Palakkad district.
Mentioning the monsoon season, the Prime Minister praised the Karthumbi umbrella, stating, “These colorful umbrellas are strikingly splendid. And the special fact is that these umbrellas are made by our tribal sisters of Kerala.”
So far, around 3 lakh umbrellas have been made by the tribal women of Attappadi. This region came into the spotlight a decade ago due to a rise in infant deaths, which threatened the tribal community’s survival.
“Malnutrition has been identified as one of the reasons behind mothers in Attappadi delivering unhealthy babies. Ensuring a source of income was essential for improving their living standards and overall health. Thus, the idea of manufacturing umbrellas came up,” said Rajendra Prasad, president of Thambu, a tribal welfare organization in Attappadi that initiated the project.
‘Karthumbi’ was originally a cultural group of tribal children in Attappadi. The umbrella brand adopted this name. In 2014, when the project began, around 50 tribal women received training in umbrella making. Ten of these women received expert training outside Attappadi.
In the first three years, Dubai-based Peace Collective provided financial support for the umbrella project. In 2017, the State Tribal Development Department granted a revolving fund of Rs 17 lakh. From producing 1,000 umbrellas in 2014, the initiative has expanded to selling 17,000 umbrellas a year in 2024. The number of trained tribal women has increased from 50 to 360.
Most of these women work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. The umbrella manufacturing has been designed to provide an additional source of income for women. It is seasonal, starting in February, with umbrellas ready by the monsoon in Kerala (June).
