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Brooms in Rajasthan are made by hand. Even professional broom-making is not a mechanised
process; it involves using different parts of the human body ranging from the toe
to the teeth.
Broom-making requires dexterity of fingers and swiftness in executing the process
from start to finish. This speed and efficiency are directly related to the number
of brooms a broom-maker can make within a day, which in turn affects his/her earning
for the day.
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Seemingly simple, the broom-making process has been honed and sharpened to near
perfection over generations; yet, new methods and materials are also being developed.
The use of slivers of discarded rubber tubes to tie brooms made of date-palm, demonstrates
the creativity and responsiveness of broom-makers to the inexpensive materials available
in their environment.
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Broom made of Khejur
In the traditional method of making a khejur (date-palm) broom, the leaf
blades are first shredded and the thorns removed.
Then, individual leaf blades are separated, braided and plaited to create twine
which is used to tie bunches of khejur leaves.
The twine is encircled around the toe of the broom-maker and pulled, so as to create
tension in the tightening of the broom at the base.
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Then, the twine is interwoven more intricately into the khejur leaves to
create gajras (circles), which help to form the handle of the broom.
A ganda or loose string is encircled around the broom to serve as a means
of support which can be shifted up and down.
The khejur leaves are then split with brushing movements against a nakkha,
a comb-like tool containing sharp nails.
The ends of the broom are cut with a sharp knife. Click here to view images
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Some broom-makers have started using rubber tyre tubes to make thin strips with
which the khejur leaves are tied together to form the handle of the broom.
These tubes are bought in bulk and cut with blades that have been discarded from
barber shops. The process of cutting the rubber is hazardous even as the broom-makers
have developed dexterity and skill in their creation of raw materials. It takes
about five minutes to make one broom.
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Broom made of Baans
The blades of bamboo are spliced with a knife into sharp splints, which are sorted
and arranged.
The splints are rolled on the ground and separated in such a way that a bundle is
formed. The quality of the splints is also assessed at this time and the good pieces
are separated from the ones which cannot be used.
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The splints are then held in a tight bundle and tied with an iron wire, which is
rolled around the base of the broom.
A killi or pointed piece of wood is wedged into the base of the broom, thereby
strengthening the handle.
The ends of the bamboo splints are cut evenly with a knife. Click here to view images
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Broom made of Munjh
This broom is made of munjh, which is the thin layer covering the stems of
the panni grass.
After sorting and arranging the pieces of munjh, the broom-maker makes a
bundle by stacking them together.
He then proceeds to tie a string around his toe and the sariya - an iron
spike which is pierced into the ground.
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In order to maximize the tension in tying the broom together at the base, the string
is pulled away from the spike and cut with the broom-maker's teeth.
He then uses a mogri, a wooden mallet, to flatten the ends of the broom.
He brushes the leaves and cut their ends with a dantadi, a kind of sickle,
in order to give the final shape to the broom. Click here to view images
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