Now, cloth from `poisonous grass`

Imagine cloth being made of poisonous grass. An Almora-based social organisation has found a novel way of extracting yarn from the `Bichchu` (scorpion) grass, which is found in abundance in the hilly areas here, and then turning it into fine cloth.

Imagine cloth being made of poisonous grass. An Almora-based social organisation has found a novel way of extracting yarn from the "Bichchu" (scorpion) grass, which is found in abundance in the hilly areas in Dehradun, and then turning it into fine cloth.
Besides generating employment opportunities for women, Jan Jagran is turning into a source of livelihood for other people in Dehradun.
Jagran Secretary Mukti Datta has set up a "Panchachuli Weavers" centre where as many as 100 women are imparted training in the new technique.
Datta once came across cloth made of the Bichchu yarn. It was manufactured in Nepal. She immediately went all the way to the particular area, learnt the technique and brought along a few artisans to train people in her own state, as similar grass was found in abundance back home.

And soon Datta started a training session for women, who are now well-versed in the weaving art. First they dry the grass in the sun, then mix it with ash and expose it to deep boiling.

Thereafter, the mixture is beaten to make it soft. The next stage is to immerse the softened material into a solution of white soil, a special kind of soil found in the region.

It's again dried in the sun and finally the yarn is taken out from the soiled mixture after beating it softly.

Next, the yarn is spun into threads. This process is done with the help of a special kind of "charkha" and "chakli" (traditional spinning wheels).

The thread thus obtained is used in making beautiful handbags, scarves and cloth, etc. Datta calls it "natural handloom".

The cloth so manufactured, she said, is being exported to many countries. Bureau Report