In the forested stretches of Chhattisgarh’s Jashpur, where tribal traditions have quietly survived for generations, something remarkable is taking shape.
It is not a mega industrial project.
It is not a large government scheme.
It is a bamboo earring. A handcrafted necklace. A sugar-light immunity booster made by village women.
And behind it all is Shashi Kumar, a 2018-batch Indian Forest Service officer who is reimagining what forest-based livelihoods can look like.
As Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Jashpur, Shashi Kumar is doing something simple but powerful: taking traditional tribal knowledge, refining it with training, packaging, and market access, and turning it into a source of stable income.
His model is clear: if forest communities can create value from what they already know, they don’t just earn; they gain confidence, identity, and independence.
Also read: 9 Hours, One Life Hanging by a Thread: The High-Stakes Elephant Rescue Led by IFS Shashi Kumar in Jashpur
FROM FOREST GRASS TO FASHION JEWELLERY
The journey began in Kasabel, a block in Jashpur, at a place called Kotanpani.
There, women were familiar with working with bamboo and chhind grass, natural materials found abundantly in the region. But their skills had never been shaped into a formal livelihood.
That changed when Shashi Kumar’s team stepped in. Instead of asking them to make everything, they chose one focused niche: jewellery.
Necklaces, earrings, handcrafted accessories. Not utility products. Not baskets. Not household items. Jewellery.
“We didn’t want to diversify too much in the beginning. We kept it specifically on bamboo jewellery so it could establish itself as a niche product,” Shashi Kumar shared in an exclusive conversation with Indian Masterminds.
The forest department organized a structured seven-to-eight-day training program, bringing women together, teaching them design techniques, and even compensating them while they learned.
That mattered. It reduced hesitation. It made learning feel like work, not charity.
Once trained, the women were brought under a committee structure so production could be organized collectively. And then came the breakthrough.
FROM VILLAGE HOMES TO AIRPORT SHELVES
Training alone was never the goal. Market access was.
Shashi Kumar and his team signed an MoU with Rare Planet, a retail brand with stores across 46–47 airports in India. That changed everything.
The handcrafted jewellery made by tribal women in Jashpur began reaching airports in Ranchi, Raipur, and Bengaluru. Products made at home and sold for ₹200–₹300 locally were suddenly being sold for ₹4,000–₹4,500 in premium retail spaces.
And the earnings? They went directly to the women.
“It’s a simple tribal woman getting a platform where she can sell her product,” Shashi Kumar explains. “Now that they’ve started earning, they see the value in it.”
For many, this changed how they saw their own work. What was once just craft became commerce. What was once a hobby became income. And what was once invisible became visible.
THE DAY THE PRESIDENT NOTICED
One of the biggest moments for the initiative came during an official visit by Droupadi Murmu. The Jashpur craft products were presented to her as a gift.
What happened next surprised everyone.
During her speech, usually highly structured and protocol-driven, the President mentioned the craft and appreciated it publicly. For Shashi Kumar and the women behind the products, it was a moment of validation.
Not because it made headlines. But because it told them their work mattered.
“That mention was special,” he recalls. “It was unexpected, and it gave the women a huge confidence boost.”
BUILDING MORE THAN INCOME
What makes this model different is what happens behind the scenes. Every month, the accounts are audited in front of all participating women.
The numbers are laid out openly. Payments are clarified. No confusion. No middlemen. Transparency is part of the system.
Beyond that, the women are now being trained in presentation and communication too. Some of them have already travelled to exhibitions and stalls in Raipur to represent the products themselves.
The idea is clear: not just makers, but future managers.
“My plan is to handhold them for one-and-a-half to two years. After that, they should be able to run this independently,” the officer told Indian Masterminds.
That’s where the bigger shift lies. Not in selling jewellery. But in building ownership.
THE NEXT BIG BET: AAROGYA AMRIT
While the bamboo jewellery initiative grows, Shashi Kumar has already launched another ambitious product.
On February 21, his team introduced Aarogya Amrit, an immunity-boosting herbal formulation developed in Jashpur.
At first glance, it may look like another Chyawanprash. But it isn’t. Unlike commercial variants that often carry up to 40% sugar, Aarogya Amrit has been developed as a healthier alternative.
It also carries certification from the Ministry of AYUSH, a much harder approval process than a regular food license.
This is significant. Because it moves the product from local experimentation into regulated wellness. And once again, the women making it are from village communities, this time from Panchakki in Jashpur.
“This is our new product development,” says Shashi Kumar. “And by this Diwali, we plan to launch five more variants.”
Research is already underway. Packaging is being developed. The next phase is in motion.
A DIFFERENT KIND OF FOREST OFFICER
For many, forestry is about trees, wildlife, and conservation. For Shashi Kumar, it is also about people. About what happens when forest-dependent communities are given skill, structure, and a market.
In Jashpur, that idea is no longer theoretical. It is hanging on airport shelves. It is being packed into herbal jars. And it is being built by women who, until recently, had never imagined their work could travel this far.
Sometimes, real change does not arrive with noise. Sometimes, it begins in a village home, with bamboo, grass, and a belief that local hands can create something the world will value.
Also read: Vivek Yadav: A Driver’s Son Who Cracked UPSC Twice to Become an IPS Officer
