Kerala folk musician bats for bamboo promotion

Thiruvananathapuram: Jayachandran Kadampanad needs no introduction in Kerala – he is the state’s own ballad singer, travelling across the State and outside, performing folk music. He has found bamboo as a product which can be used for the conservation of nature.

“Folklife academy”, his organisation has already started promoting bamboo and bamboo products across the State. “I had undertaken a trip across the State under the auspices of the state Haritha mission, singing folk music, promoting nature conservation and found that mother nature is being exploited totally.”

He said, “We found that unabated construction was taking place in the State and hillocks are being demolished and quarry mafia was ruling the roost”.The journey helped him meet school children, college students and people from all walks of life and spread the message of conservation of environment.

Kadampanad with the help of a few of his friends and environmentalists is into promotion of bamboo. The noted ballad singer said, “Bamboo if cultivated across the State on river banks will help prevent soil erosion and this is a natural way to preserve environment.”

He has also developed and designed several products with bamboo including baskets, chairs, tables, musical instruments, decorations in five star hotels and many more.He has already submitted a proposal to Thiruvananathapuram corporation for constructing bus waiting sheds with bamboo.

He said, “These bus waiting sheds will be a centre for promotion of our culture and depict the ethinicity of our State.”He also said that the cost of these bus waiting sheds will be one fourth of the present construction cost and will last for more than thirty years.