Vitamin Bee by BERRI Foundation
About
Mountain communities have a long history of symbiotic codependency with bees – not only for the bounty they bring in agricultural produce, but also the close proximity of their lives through wall hives commonly found in the vernacular architecture of the region. It was not uncommon for village folk to simply reach into a niche in the walls of their home, albeit carefully, for a fresh supply of raw, delicious honey! In exchange, the bees had a warm and cosy space within thick mud walls to make a safe home, away from predators and inclement mountain weather. This beautiful
symbiosis is quickly disappearing as vernacular stone and mud homes are replaced with ‘pukka’ brick and concrete structures, the few that remain are a source of joy and abundance, representative of a time when humans understood that our very existence depends on respectful cohabitation with nature.
Vitamin Bee is aimed at co-creating and sharing artistic responses to bees and their place in the ecology, as well as in the imagination. It involves a back and forth between the artist and the community of Badsar village through the entire making process. The project will involve illustrated stories, interactive workshops sharing indigenous knowledge around bees, and developing a play involving shadow puppets, to be made into a series of short films, that will later travel for screenings.
Bee and Environmental Research for Rural Innovation (BERRI) is a trust that was established by the founders of Tenacious Bee Collective, in order to expand the reach and impact of the efforts started by the collective. BERRI’s main objective is to facilitate and promote a wide range of activities that focus on enabling a thriving native bee population across the Western Himalaya.
Report by Sukanya Deb
Program Coordinator at Shared Ecologies
I visited Jia Village in Himachal Pradesh on 3rd November 2023, where I was able to see Tenacious Bee Collective’s working space, and view their operations in progress. Aditya Singh (Kunal’s brother) handles the commercial aspects of the operation and told me about how their involvement in beekeeping and bee-related products has involved the local population, where they source honey and wax from local beekeepers. Their site visits included going to traditionally kept wall hives, learning about non-extractive beekeeping methods, and conducting bee rescues.
Visiting their operations I was able to meet and speak to the local women who have been employed by TBC, to conduct the operations, which including making bee-affiliated products such as candles, honey, balms and other cosmetic products, along with concoctions with other vegetables such as garlic to be consumed as chutney. I learnt that TBC are experimenting with the efficacy of such products and finding new uses for bee-affiliated ingredients. They were especially busy with the orders at the time of visitation with Diwali approaching.
Six local women have been employed by TBC for about 5 years now, work part-time, and are a core part of the team in making and assembling the products for sale to clients. The operation provides local opportunity and insight. I was witness to and was able to lend a hand to the workshop which involved making candles with different moulds. The slates of wax would be broken into smaller parts, melted in a pan, and poured into the mould for it to take the shape of a candle.
Kunal Singh, co-founder of TBC, told me about site visits in different parts of the country where they visit beekeepers and farms, for sourcing products as well as knowledge. For example, they source honey from Kangra valley, amongst other places, for their allied products. They also lend their expertise with bees towards local bee rescue operations. I was also able to visit The Ballu, a family-run homestay and 150-year old mudhouse, which is home to a wall hive. The beehive is inside a wall cavity in one of their guest rooms, with a small opening on the outer wall for the bees to travel in and out. Aditya Singh also showed me around their farmland where they grow seasonal vegetables and have a greenhouse as well.
Alia Sinha and Malini Kochupillai were not present in Jia at the time of my visit. They would be going to the village later in December to conduct the storytelling and shadow puppetry workshops with local children, which would go towards their film and possible performance. They will be showing this at d.r.i.f.t next year, a theatre festival which takes place in Dharamshala.
Cover image by Alia Sinha, courtesy of BERRI Foundation.