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The art of cricket bat making in India (photo report)

BY HAREEM KHAN AND STEPHANIE CHEN On a bustling shopping strip in Hubli, Karnataka, a family of eleven sit under a tarp roof. Surrounded by wood carvings and shaped cricket bats, their stall stands out even on the busiest of roadsides. The family...

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The art of cricket bat making in India (photo report)

BY HAREEM KHAN AND STEPHANIE CHEN

On a bustling shopping strip in Hubli, Karnataka, a family of eleven sit under a tarp roof. Surrounded by wood carvings and shaped cricket bats, their stall stands out even on the busiest of roadsides.

The family hand-carve and sell wooden cricket bats, and are known throughout this small city for the quality of their products and the care they put into their art.

Love for cricket flows deep in India. In a country populated with vastly different cultures and ethnic groups, cricket is one of the few things that bring even the most diverse people together.

Rahul Thoda is the third generation of Thodas to carry his family’s business. “Hubli is very far from our village in Gujarat. But we make the effort to bring all the wood from Gujarat, because it’s the highest quality and you can’t get it anywhere else,” he said. 
Separated by a row of freshly carved bats, Rahul’s father, Bakhri Thoda works right next to his son. “We cut the wood down to a basic shape in our village, but refine the bats at this stall,” he said.
“Its very important that we get the finishing touches right, like the shape and the curve – but that step only takes 15 minutes,” Rahul Thoda said. The cricket bats sell for 150 to 250 rupees each – about $3-5.
Due to the nature of their work, the family stays in Hubli until the wet season starts in June. The rains usually destroy the thin plastic roof that covers their stall, and harsh winds can damage the structure. The family moves back and forth between Hubli and their village in Gujurat every six months.
The women in the family look after the five children, cook meals, and clean. A young girl peeks out from the curtains at the back of the stall, revealing a living space and an array of clothes hanging out to dry. The men focus on crafting the cricket bats.
The Thoda family says although their business requires a lot of effort and migration, they find comfort on the road because they are always surrounded by family.
“We got married seven months ago and my husband brought me here to be with all of my in-laws,” Sheetal Thoda said.
The Thoda children grow up together and are able to forge strong connections with each other from a young age – the same connection that keeps the business in their family for generations.
Before the family returns to their village, they rent a room in Hubli to store all of the bats that remain unsold at the start of the rainy season. They return to their bats in Hubli at the beginning of the next cricket season, ready to begin their cycle again.

All interviews conducted in Hindi by Hareem Khan.

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