If you have an acre of land in Karnataka that is conducive for the growth of sandalwood trees, planting its saplings today, can earn you a profit of ₹1 crore 15 years later. This investment opportunity came about only recently. Up until 2002, any sandalwood tree grown in state forests or on private lands automatically became the government’s property; which led to many owners destroying any unintended sandalwood saplings on their land. There were two reasons for this. The first was to avoid the daunting registration process and getting the tree marked by government officials for future use. Not registering the tree was an offence. This means, you had to protect a government asset on your land under any circumstance; should anything happen to it, you faced days of interrogation.
The second dissuasion was the increasing threat of smugglers in the region at the time. Veerappan, a sandalwood smuggler had been terrorising South India for over a decade when he was alive. He raced against the government to procure any number of the said wood. Thus owning a sandalwood tree also meant the risk of an armed thief entering your property.
How are things different today? Section 108 of the Karnataka Forest (Amendment) Act 2001 states that sandalwood grown on private land is the sole property of the owner. Though it doesn’t need to be registered, it cannot be sold to anyone other than the government-run Karnataka Detergent and Soap Ltd (KSDL). Further, after Veerappan’s death in 2004, the other smugglers haven’t proved to be as powerful.
It is true that the Act has introduced a new industry – sandalwood plantation – but it isn’t all good news. India is lauded for yielding the most superior species of sandalwood, Santalum album that gives up to 90 per cent potent oil. (It then came to be known as Indian sandalwood internationally.) Back then it was India’s high-value foreign exchange commodity with no competition. Today, Australia is emerging as the world’s sandalwood giant, gradually taking over India’s position as the monopoly holder of the global sandalwood industry.
“We received a sample from Australia for testing, and it was of a good grade,” says a spokesperson of KSDL. “USA is already their biggest customer. Though Australia is giving them the same product we produce, we aren’t able to meet the global demand.”
Australia has the capacity to harvest up to 900 tonnes, and experts predict that by 2018 it will lead in the exports of Santalum album. India once used to produce about 4,000 tonnes of sandalwood annually around the 1970s. However, rampant smuggling at the time and archaic sandalwood laws (pre-2001 Act) have crippled the industry into producing less than 200 tonnes today.
Sadly, the amended Act came about a little too late. A decade later, acknowledging the niggardly quantities of sandalwood grown, B. Ramanatha Rai, Karnataka Minister For Forest, Ecology & Environment Department introduced the Siri Chandanavana programme in 2013. He said the Kannada government has earmarked seven crores for the maintenance, protection and growth of natural sandalwood-growing areas. This is in addition to the ongoing Grow More Sandalwood campaign by KSDL that has signed up local farmers who own land.
KSDL’s spokesperson says, “Each month we require about six tonnes of heartwood, which is the purest part of the (sandalwood) tree. Annually we get anything from 2,500kg to 3,000kg oil. Every drop is precious to us. Though 10gm oil can fetch us ₹3,600 it isn’t sold in large quantities because we need as much oil as we can get our hands on.”
KSDL, the only organisation to whom sandalwood can be sold, is famous for their varieties of soap that use varying amounts of sandalwood oil. These are sold within the country, primarily in South India, and “Karnataka is the strongest market.”
He adds, “We manufacture 12,000 tonne soaps annually, of which 10 per cent is exported – mainly to Europe. From exports alone we earn about ₹10 to ₹15 crore per year. The good news is that the daily demand for soap is increasing, nationally and internationally. The bad news is that the scarcity of sandalwood isn’t helping. This is why we end up buying all the wood on the market and from our neighbouring states. Private plantations are our only hope.” The government isn’t open to importing sandalwood and the reason is ambiguous. Perhaps it is a matter of pride, for India is now the fallen sandalwood king.
I had visited Mysore Sandalwood Oil Factory at the time production was halted. “We work when there is enough sandalwood; a small supply isn’t worth running the machines,” a factory worker tells me as I fill in a form for a guided tour.
When the factory isn’t busy distilling oil, it dries the wood (except heartwood) and uses it to make incense sticks. Some of the extra wood is sold to cottage industries that make handicrafts. The entire compound smells of sandalwood, but this isn’t from the few trees on the property; it’s from the stacked wood inside. “Sandalwood smells only when it is cut open,” my guide explains.
Even though Mysore has an abundance of trees in the heart of the city, state and private plantations are scattered around the circumference and rural parts of Mysore district. Dense forest land following you through the city, and the constant view of the Charmundi hills, break stereotypical images of growing cities transforming into concrete jungles. The tier-II city also holds several natural lakes, and roughly 15 per cent of its 129-square-kilometres is logged as “open spaces”. Mysore owes its abundant greenery to the Kaveri and Kabini rivers that sandwich it.
About a minute’s drive from the oil factory is the profit-making state-owned public sector undertaking (PSU) Karnataka Silk Industries Corporation (KSIC) – another one of Mysore’s claim to fame. The dropping temperature from 26 degrees celsius and the slight breeze made it an easy walk to KSIC, one of the very few looms in the city. The others are closer to surrounding rural areas due to proximity to cocoon farms and easy availability of labour.
While Mysore’s sericulture industry has been in existence since the silk route opened, it was the Maharaja who set up the first mill here. Since then it has shown a steady rise, with periodic pockets of depressions. Even then, it has always recovered quickly. Unlike sandalwood, it is not a government-controlled industry; thus allowing plenty of opportunity for the silk industry to grow. Mysore Saree Udyog is one such private organisation that began in the 1930s.
Durai Rajan, Business Head E-commerce, Mysore Saree Udyog says, “I don’t think the silk industry has ever gone through a dramatically bad phase. Prior to 1995, there was a kind of a trend where people were switching towards easy to wear and maintain synthetic products. Interest in ethnic wear lowered, but it was only a phase. The industry used to be a lot more fragmented in the past. Today with e-commerce everything is more consolidated and available on a global platform.”
The International Sericulture Commission states that India produced 28,708 metric tonnes of silk in 2014. This is 16 per cent of the total global silk production, mainly mulberry silk. Karnataka’s contribution is 40 per cent of India’s mulberry acreage, and the majority lies heavily in the state’s Mysore district.
Over the years there has been a bifurcation of the silk producing processes in Mysore. Those produced on power looms are broadly classified as “Mysore silk” and those on handlooms as “handloom silk”.
“Handlooms inherently still weave Mysore silk because of the use of mulberry silk,” says P M Virupakshappa, now retired Chief Manager of the state-owned Karnataka Handloom Corporation (KHC). “In a month we produce 22,000 metres of silk fabric,” he continues. “Unlike power loom products, handloom silks have longer durability because the production process puts less strain on the yarn being spun.”
He goes on to explain that power looms became popular much later in the last decade. Though they employ the rural population, it is handlooms that preserve the age-old talent of the artisans. “We employ more than 12,000 artisan families. From our ₹170 crore annual turnover, each month we support weavers with ₹1.25 crore.”
Rajan says, “The problem of this industry is that if I am a cocoon producer, then chances are my children may not get into it. This is common across every art and craft as people feel it is not as lucrative or status-wise it isn’t an attractive profile. In the last seven to eight years people have wanted to get into IT the most. The migration has been towards Bengaluru. Now with the internet throwing new job opportunities, people have started looking at non-IT sectors too.”
If at all the number of local artisans is dwindling, it is because the youth opt to move out. Mysore boasts of an 87 per cent literacy rate, and more than half the millennial population is adept at written and oral English. As a first-time visitor, it wasn’t hard for me to communicate with locals. There isn’t much to do in the city, pushing fresh graduates to migrate in quest of a better quality of life. Cafes, restaurants, and pubs in Mysore can be counted on your fingertips. Those who remain here prefer to join the tourism, hospitality or software sectors. Yet, this doesn’t threaten the sericulture community in a large way.
“Mysore silks would broadly come under the classification of South silks,” says Rajan. “People tend to still continue to look at their silk from a regional sense. For example people from Karnataka would look at Mysore silk, crepes and georgettes, Tamil Nadu would look at Kanjipuram (silk) and so on. It is culture driven and the women especially are more comfortable with and what they would like to be seen wearing at traditional functions. And during weddings they would not look at anything else, other than what is traditional. At a national level, I don’t think the silks really compete against the other.”
Further, those who know their silk will make a conscious decision to opt for handloom pieces. Their charm is natural blemishes, and no two pieces are similar. The discerning tourist won’t leave without a trip to a silk shop. These are available in plenty in the city, but to identify an authentic shop can be tricky. Be sure to get recommendations from friends or the hotel or visit any government outlet.
THINGS TO SEE
Mysore Maharajah’s Palace or Amba Vilas is in the heart of the city and once used to be home to the royal family. Designer Henry Irwin renovated the building with Indo-Saracenic architecture in 1912, after it was destroyed in a fire in 1897. A stained-glass ceiling with peacock motifs crown the Kalyana Mantapa or marriage hall. The theme continues in the flooring with mosaic tiles. Walls of this and the Public Darbar halls are lined with century-old, well-preserved oil paintings from the time. Old photographs and colourful depictions of historic events are on view throughout the palace. The entire palace is a museum with artefacts showcased in a line. Each item on display matches the room in which it was most used. Unfortunately the light’s glare on some glass cases that hold the exhibits can interrupt the view.
The armoury museum on the same premises requires a separate ticket.
An audio guide of the palace is available in Hindi, English, Kannada, German, Italian, Japanese, and French.
- Open daily 10am to 5:30pm; Tickets ₹40 for Indians and ₹200 for foreigners; mysorepalace.gov.in
Jagan Mohan Palace is an art gallery that has a vast collection of paintings in various mediums from 1875 and the following years. The paintings aren’t displayed in the best light, but for an art enthusiast, two hours can easily be lost here.
- Open daily 8:30am to 5:30pm; Tickets ₹20.
About 13km from Mysore and 3,489 feet above sea level is Chamundeshwari Temple from the 12th century. You can either drive or climb up the 1,008 stone steps to the temple. Inside is the idol of goddess Chamunda. Outside is a tall statue of the demon Mahishasura whom she had vanquished. It is best to hold your bags close to you when visiting the stone-temple because the monkey population is rather notorious here. If you ignore them, they will ignore you.
Try visiting at sunrise or sunset for a stunning view of Mysore. Halfway up the hill is a 16 feet tall stone structure of Nandi or the holy bull. Near the bull is a sugar cane juice vendor — ask him to add a dash of ginger to your glass.
- Open daily 7am to 2pm and 3:30pm to 9pm.
Another ancient Hindu shrine is Sri Ranganatha Temple from 984 AD. It is 15km from Mysore’s city centre in Srirangapatna — the island fortress of Tipu Sultan, the tiger of Mysore. Tipu Sultan’s palace or Daria Daulat Bagh is just a few minutes from the temple by car. Maintenance of the palace is a struggle, nonetheless, the vibrant paintings that cover the walls and ceilings can hold your attention for long. On them are mounted paintings documenting the period during Tipu Sultan’s rule, as well as his clothes and weapons. The manicured lawns and symmetric placement of trees make a beautiful and grand entrance.
- Open daily 9am to 5pm; Tickets ₹5 for Indians and ₹100 for foreigners.
DID YOU KNOW?
When Karnataka was formed on November 1, 1953, it was originally known as the State of Mysore. It was renamed to Karnataka only in 1973.
Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel
The well-equipped 141-rooms and suites offers views of the Chamundi hills on one side, and the city on the other. Apart from the regular a la carte menu, this upscale hotel has an impressive buffet of global and local spread for all three meals at their only restaurant — Spring. The first floor is dedicated to an open plan 24-hour business centre for three, and a boardroom for 18 people with secretarial service. On the ground floor is a large hall for 1,200 people and can be divided for smaller groups. The property shares a common wall with Mysore’s biggest shopping mall. radissonblu.com
Fortune JP Palace
Double glazed windows do a good job of blocking any noise. There are 59 Deluxe rooms, 33 Fortune Club rooms, 15 suites and one room for the handicapped. Corporate guests can plan conferences in advance through the ‘Plan A Conference’ tool on their website. The mid-scale Fortune JP Palace has three conference halls, two boardrooms and a 22 sqm pre-function area. fortunehotels.in
Ginger Hotel
This low-budget and comfortable accommodation offers the basic to a business traveller. They have a self check-in kiosk at the reception, a meeting room with high-speed internet, gym and a spa. They have one multi-cuisine restaurant Square Meal and an outlet of a national coffee chain on their property. All 98 rooms have the basics of free wifi, in-room dining, writing desk, LCD TV, tea/coffee maker and a shower. gingerhotels.com
