From a Small Workshop in Assam, One Innovator’s Bamboo Craft Is Creating Jobs & Gaining Global Recognition

In a quiet corner of Dhekerghat, North-West Jorhat, the rhythmic sounds of chisels and hammers tell a story of resilience. Here, among piles of bamboo poles stacked neatly outside a modest workshop, dreams are being shaped into more than furniture. They are being carved into livelihoods, dignity, and global recognition.

At the heart of it all is Prabhat Saikia, a craftsman turned changemaker, whose journey from a village workshop to the world stage shows what happens when passion meets perseverance.

At a time when unemployment remains one of Assam’s greatest challenges, Saikia has not only created opportunities for himself but also opened doors for others to thrive. This is the story of one man’s vision to take Assam’s traditional bamboo craft from local markets to international acclaim — and of the voices that have walked alongside him.

Planting the seeds of a dream

The year was 2006 when Saikia first leapt into the uncertain world of entrepreneurship. With modest means but boundless determination, he launched a small bamboo and cane handicraft unit under a development programme of the Block Development Office in North-West Jorhat.

“I was fascinated by the elegance of bamboo,” recalls Saikia. “It was everywhere around us, yet often overlooked. I wanted to show that bamboo could be more than everyday utility — it could be artistry, elegance, even architecture.”

But turning that fascination into a sustainable business was far from easy. The first few years were marked by struggles. Orders were sporadic, resources limited, and the idea of bamboo furniture seemed too niche.

Yet Saikia refused to give up. By 2008, he restructured the workshop and renamed it Mrs Saikia Bamboo Industry — a tribute to his family’s support and his own belief in fresh beginnings.

Persistence paid off. By 2011–12, the name “Saikia” had become familiar across Assam. His finely crafted bamboo furniture earned recognition for its blend of tradition and durability. What started in a village workshop was slowly becoming a brand.

The big challenge: building beyond furniture

Success did not make him complacent. Saikia began to imagine how bamboo could be used in architectural spaces, not just homes. Eco-resorts, cottages, even large-scale constructions — all this, he believed, was possible with the right innovation.

One hurdle stood in the way: durability. “Bamboo, by nature, is perishable,” says Saikia. “If it is not treated properly, it will not last. That was the biggest challenge.”

Determined to overcome it, he collaborated with the Rainforest Research Institute, Jorhat, where he trained in treatment techniques. He experimented with modifications until he developed a process that could ensure long-lasting products.

This innovation was a turning point. Bamboo was no longer fragile — it was strong enough to build homes.

Recognition soon followed. From the Gandhi Shilpi Award in Manipur to the Luit Poriya Lifetime Award, and even a Special Artist Recognition from the Chief Minister of Assam, Saikia’s artistry was celebrated across India.

By 2018, he was certified as a master trainerunder the Handicrafts Development Commission, cementing his role as both craftsman and mentor.

Creating livelihoods for artisans

In his workshop, around twenty young artisans sit bent over worktables, chiselling, weaving, and sanding bamboo into elegant shapes. For them, this space is more than a workplace. It is a chance to build livelihoods in their own villages rather than migrate to cities in search of uncertain jobs.

“Before I joined here, I was unemployed for months,” shares Raju, who has been working with Saikia for four years. “In our area, getting a steady income is difficult unless you move to the cities. But here, I can earn, learn, and stay close to my family.”

For Raju, the workshop is also a classroom. “Saikia sir teaches us not just how to cut or shape bamboo, but how to think differently. He says bamboo can be anything we imagine — furniture, houses, even export material. That inspires us to see value in something we grew up taking for granted.”

Raju points proudly to a finished chair ready for dispatch. “When we hear that our work is going to Delhi or abroad, it feels like our own hands are travelling the world.”

Crossing borders with craft

Saikia’s work has now travelled far beyond Assam. In recent years, he was invited as chief trainer at an international bamboo workshop in Diktel District, Nepal, under the “Bamboo Mission” in collaboration with China and the Netherlands.

For nearly two months, he trained artisans from across countries, sharing techniques honed in Jorhat’s small lanes.

He returned to Nepal again this June to lead another workshop, further reinforcing his reputation as an international trainer. Yet even in the midst of this recognition, Saikia remains grounded.

“Assam is the largest producer of bamboo in India,” he points out. “We supply bamboo to so many industries across the country. And still, we are far behind places like China or even Nepal when it comes to bamboo-based industries. The problem is not potential. The problem is support and technology.”

Saikia believes that with institutional backing, Assam could become a hub for bamboo-based enterprises, creating thousands of jobs. “A well-crafted bamboo product today can fetch anywhere between Rs 5,000 and Rs 8,000. That is the kind of opportunity our youth deserve.”

Heritage turned into modern living

While Saikia and his workers create, others ensure that their craft reaches new markets. Anil Sharma, a distributor who regularly handles consignments of bamboo furniture and decorative pieces from Saikia’s workshop, has seen demand grow.

“When I first started working with Prabhat, I wondered if bamboo furniture would sell in urban markets. People thought of it as rural or temporary,” Sharma explains. “But the quality of his work changed minds. The designs are modern, durable, and eco-friendly. Customers in Guwahati, Delhi, and Bengaluru are now asking for them.”

For distributors like Sharma, the appeal lies in authenticity. “Buyers want products that tell a story. When I say these pieces come from artisans in Jorhat, crafted with treated bamboo, people are immediately interested. It is not just furniture; it is heritage turned into modern living.”

He believes the international exposure is only the beginning. “If Nepal and China see value in what Saikia teaches, there is no reason why Europe or America will not. Bamboo is the future of sustainable living, and people like Prabhat are showing India the way.”

A collective journey

The success of Saikia’s enterprise does not belong to him alone. It belongs equally to the artisans who find pride in their craft and to the distributors who bring their work into homes across India. It is a collective journey where each voice adds strength.

Looking back, Saikia reflects: “In the beginning, there were days when I doubted myself. Orders were not coming in, and money was tight. But I reminded myself why I started — to show the world what Assam’s bamboo could become. That kept me going.”

Today, his workshop in Dhekerghat is proof that dreams rooted in tradition can flourish globally. Heritage, when nurtured with innovation, can become a source of livelihoods and recognition for entire communities.

The road ahead

For Assam, where lakhs of educated youth struggle to find stable employment, Saikia’s journey carries a message of hope. Bamboo, a resource that grows abundantly in the state, can be transformed into a thriving industry that preserves culture while addressing unemployment.

The artisans in Saikia’s workshop already embody that future. Each chair, table, or decorative piece they produce is not just a product but a symbol of resilience, creativity, and opportunity. Distributors carry those symbols into urban markets, while international workshops carry them across borders.

As Saikia says, “Bamboo has always been part of our lives here. The challenge is to see it not just as grass but as gold. If we treat it right, market it right, it can change lives.”

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From a humble workshop in Jorhat to international platforms in Nepal, from struggling beginnings to becoming a master trainer, Saikia’s story is one of vision realised through relentless effort. It is also the story of young artisans finding work in their villages and distributors taking Assam’s heritage to new audiences.

In the rhythmic sound of bamboo being shaped in Dhekerghat lies a powerful truth: local dreams, when pursued with courage, can resonate on global stages. And in every product leaving Saikia’s workshop, there is not just bamboo, but a piece of Assam’s soul.

Why Bamboo is an environmental powerhouse 

• Bamboo isn’t just strong and versatile — it delivers powerful ecological advantages.
  
  

• It grows extremely fast, with many species maturing in 3–5 years, making it a much quicker renewable resource than hardwood trees.
  
  

• Its dense root system helps hold soil together, reducing erosion and stabilising landscapes, especially in erosion-prone regions like Assam.
  
  

• A study in Discover Forests (Uttarakhand) found that bamboo plantations help restore degraded land thanks to their rapid growth, low water needs, high biomass yield, and carbon sequestration potential.
  
  

• Bamboo is an excellent carbon sink, absorbing CO₂ at a high rate and storing it in both above-ground biomass and root systems.
  
  

• Research in ScienceDirect shows woody bamboo species can sequester 6–13 Mg C per hectare per year, with total biomass carbon storage ranging from 30–121 Mg C per hectare.

Edited by Vidya Gowri Venkatesh

Sources: 

'Managing woody bamboos for carbon farming and carbon trading': by Arun Jyoti Nath, Published on 9 March 2015.

'Exploring bamboo’s potential in economic returns and degraded land restoration in Uttarakhand, India': by Shikha Uniyal Gairola, Published on 13 June 2025.