Owing to the sheer abundance of its presence in Indian kitchens, the humble-looking bottle gourd is seldom taken seriously. However, the vegetable known for its bland gustatory appeal, is a vital source of livelihood for the tribal Tumba artists in Odisha. They make intricate decorative products by drying, carving and painting these vegetables.

Thanks to a jewellery-making training capsule organised in Rayagada, a tribal dominated district in Odisha, 150 Kondh and Saura tribe women make necklaces, cuff bracelets, earrings, rings, hairpins, waistbands and bangles out of bamboo and are earning up to Rs 25,000 a month.

Tribal women from the Debakumar village of Balasore in Odisha, turn to the eco-friendly Sabai grass to make handicrafts, that is helping them earn a livelihood. Odisha Rural Development and Marketing Society provides skill up-gradation training to these women.