In the last couple of month I noticed that the need for some traditional stuffs were dying. Begining with old style mud houses which is replaced with cemented homes to many of our things of daily needs. Especially I am referring to the wooden style cot bed that used to be a symbol of comfort in olden times, which is now hard to find. These beds usually needed some specialized hands to knit and it happens to be made at home easily.
These beds were made up on wooden frame from four sides in which the ropes were knitted in a way that allow us to rest and not easily loosen its stiffness. These cots were hard to find nowadays. Even people who could knit them are very few left. I have been looking for one in last couple of months and finally found one who came home for farming. He is a old guy who left to its to earn his living. Now once he is back I straightway asked him to knit one for me.
These beds needs a special kind of ropes which were not nylon or plastic, but usually soft yet too hard and strong. I had a spare cot wooden frame at home and I need those ropen to get my job done. And first time I learned that these ropes were available in market on weighing basis and I bought 3.5 kgs for my cot.
The knitting is not easy as it seems to be. After looking at the guy doing his work, I learned it requires a specialized techniques and art to complete. Infact it is a comple dsy job. Firstly, all the ropes were required to loosen up. After that it was grouped in layer of 4 and then the knitting job starts. Firstly a boundary were made at one end of he cot and then the knitting starts.
What is more interesting is the way it knitted in the middle. Even if you look at it, it was not straight alignment kind of stuff. Each of the ropes were binded and knotted on diagonal basis making a strong frame structure entirely. It was grouped in a specialized way and can be done only with a specialized hand. And the person is silently doing in his own way.
From.one corner to one corner, the man keeps on completing at both end. He made sure that it was knitted properly so that it can allow multiple person to seat. These ripe cot can easily bear 150 kg of weight, may be ever more.
I really admired the way the guy took up his job he made sure to keep combing the entire wooden frame with the ropes, covering each space with the ropes. Look at the way he is finishing his job.
This is purely a hand made art and I can say this art is dying silently, as therr are no one who can carry the legacy that these old people were having. Their kids were more into other kind of job in cities, and everyone is watching the vanishing act of cot making. The guys charged me Rs.500 for the entire job. I am happy to pay him looking at the way the job was completed.
You can easily judge that in my village area there are only 3 people who can easily knot the cot. Even though people have changed the way of their sleeping, and prefer some cozy mattress , these cot still holds some special place in many people hearts. I am on3 of them who always feel relaxed lying on them. It is kind of prone possession now a days. And now I am owning one of my own. This happens to be my great weekend with finding a new cot untill it get distorted..
