The Hemp (Cannabis) Plant & its Use

The Hemp plant is technically called Cannabis, although this term is often used to refer only to varieties of hemp cultivated for non-drug use. Hemp has long been used for fibre, seeds and their oils, leaves for use as vegetables and as juice, medicinal purposes, etc. Industrial hemp products are made from the plants selected to produce an abundance of fibre.

The Roots

Hemp and India have an ancient past. It is not a simple history by any means. It starts with history but finds itself intertwined with legends, mythology, religion, cultures, rituals, traditions, uses and life. 

Some of the earliest mentions of the usage of Hemp as a resource can be found in the Vedas - dating back to 3400 BC - with the wonder plant being used for food, as fibre for textiles and as a medicinal herb. In the Atharva Veda, one of the four sacred texts of Hinduism, cannabis is named one of the five most sacred plants on Earth. The text also refers to it as a ‘source of happiness’ and a ‘liberator’. [1]

The Places

In the Himalayas, and especially Himachal, hemp grows ubiquitously and has been a part of the local culture for centuries. The plant grows in parts of old Himachal comprising Shimla, Mandi, Kullu, Chamba, Sirmaur and inhabitants of this land-locked kingdom. It has been used to make baskets, ropes, carpets, and slipper suited to their indigenous lifestyle.

Growing naturally in the wild with a short gestation period, minimal resources and in the harshest of conditions, this plant was a default resource for communities and even today, there are community clusters of villages who work with the fibres of this plant and have retained the craft of working with hemp fibre.

Gada gushaini: An Untouched Paradise 

Location: Gada gushaini ,
Himachal Pradesh
Elevation of 4500 ft.

Our tryst with hemp started - not in the cafes and hangouts of Manali as one would expect - but rather in a quaint little village in the far reaches of the Tirthan Valley. 

Gadagushaini - a place as harsh and unforgiving as it is beautiful. Gentle slopes surround the villages and villagers on all sides. The gentleness shrouding the treachery of the heights that they scale. It is truly a sight to behold. At an altitude higher than what most have ever visited, here, you feel the rawness and bounty that nature truly exhibits. Houses and households lined along the narrow tributary - a stream of pristine, crystal-clear glacial water. Inviting - or rather compelling - us to say “Agar firdaus bar roo-e zameen ast, Hameen ast-o hameen ast-o hameen ast”.
If there is a heaven on earth, it's here, it's here.

Agriculture is the main source of revenue for the 500 families who call Gadagushaini and its close by villages - home. The lives and the people are simple but tough. The women lead an exceptionally hectic life. Days start off with daily household chores and as the sun settles at its highest, the women head out into the fields. Some take their cattle out for grazing; some go deep into the forest to collect wood for the winters while some spend their days working for the NREGA Schemes.  

Weaving the Pulla making Traditions

"Earlier the people of Himachal would wear/use leather footwear made from cowhide. But being a Land of Gods, this practice was considered inappropriate and so the pula chappals came alive due to sattvic nature.

These extremely lightweight chappals are worn during religious ceremonies, within temple area and are also used for walking on snow. Contrary to their fragile look and weight they are very durable comfortable and warm."~SGV(HG)

Hemp has been a part of the culture here and the women follow in the footsteps of their ancestors in using homemade hemp ropes to tie their cattle, carry straw baskets and make the popular grass-slippers or ‘Pulla’. The art of working with hemp and weaving it is usually taught to all girls at a very young age and is believed to be an essential skill to be passed down to their daughters.

Decline of the Craft

The craft saw a decline - a multitude of reasons contributing to its demise. The unviability of practicing it due to the access to good quality, common designs, synthetic material and low market rates offered by middle men and traders. This led to the decline of the craft and the loss of knowledge and practicing artisans for the craft and what exists is a faint memory of a once popular sustainable and natural form of footwear worn by the people of the Himalayan regions. The legal ambiguity surrounding the hemp plant and the lack of a strong market for it all compounding to this result. The legal status of the plant further posed a major obstacle for the artisans who have traditionally worn and used this product and retain the technique to make Pullas.  [2]

Once a celebrated craft and a household item, Pulla making and working with hemp in this manner had been all but declared as an extinct craft when our co-founder Shivani Thakur a social entrepreneur and designer Akshita Sharma from The Woolknitters travelled there to find the last few custodians of this craft and the vast generational knowledge - the artistry of spinning and weaving hemp running through their veins.

The influx of plastic slippers and rapid commercialization of the craft led to a steep decline in the product quality which in turn adversely affected the demand for these traditional slippers in the local markets. Earning only 15 - 20 rupees per pair, the younger generation slowly lost interest and left but a few last hands practicing this beautiful craft.

The Revival

Our engagement with them ranges right from organizing the artisans - aligning them with Government schemes, providing them with the knowhow, training & processes - of extracting the material and blending (hemp, wool, cotton, etc.) that they need for their craft. Helping them upskill themselves for their craft. We helped design their products and make it more suitable for today’s lifestyle uses and aesthetics.

This has allowed us to position the same products as a high quality handcrafted and unique artisanal product - making it possible to pay the artisans an equitable share and make this craft a viable source of income for the region. Today, they make over 15 times more than what they were making earlier. 
This is our dream of the future - for us to be able to build capacity to meet growing future market demands for conscious products, therefore resulting in more practitioners of the craft and also pave a way for sustainable localized growth and prosperity for the craft ecosystems. 

This will have a huge positive movement towards a more circular growth of micro-economies that are rooted in indigenous and natural ecosystems - thereby contributing to overall wealth & prosperity generation by utilizing local knowledge and resources to meet the social and environmental imperatives.

In an effort to preserve this craft and provide an additional means of income to the women, we joined hands with over 150 women and registered them for the Ministry of Textiles Pehchan Artisan Cards which ensures that the craft is preserved and documented in the government archives while also providing them with additional benefits, training programmes and access to modern design and facilities.

We source the hemp stalks along with other organic farm waste by spreading awareness - reusing a resource that would’ve otherwise been discarded or burnt with firewood. These stalks are then dried, woven and the women who process it get an additional activity that gets them added revenues.

Today, the women practicing the craft see the value that the activity creates - both in their lives and the lives of the people who use it. What started as an exercise with five women now has turned into a community of over 200 women who spin the hemp, weave the base and needle craft the woollen top. 

The Pulla - All-Natural Traditional Hemp Footwear

Pullas from The Humane Co are perfect for homes everywhere. This natural, ultralight, help footwear is the next step to building a green wardrobe and moving towards a sustainable lifestyle.

Hemp soles trigger your acupressure points and every step you take improves blood flow. Moreover, the natural antibacterial properties of hemp ensure that there is minimal germ buildup which helps keep bad odour at bay. The Merino Wool top itself is breathable and keeps you warm in the cold and cool in the summer.

Hemp is inherently - anti-microbial and very strong. The mat-like interwoven base creates accupressure for the feet and helps relax - it feels like walking on a mat. It is extremely light weight and feels like you are bare feet. Preferably used indoors - it can be washed, dried and reused - in time it molds itself to suit your feet and gait.

Order our Pulla Hemp Footwear

Bibliography & Interesting Reads