KERALA State Bamboo Mission (KSBM)

The office for the Kerala State Bamboo Mission is over in Vidhya Nagar, right across from the police ground in Thycaud. It’s a quiet area of Thiruvananthapuram, which makes for a peaceful place to work. The building, K-bip2, has that classic government feel to it, with high ceilings and heavy wooden doors. Inside, you’ll find plenty of files and, of course, samples of different bamboo products scattered around. There’s a faint earthy smell that stays in the rooms. We don't have a lot of modern decor; it's mostly functional desks and cupboards filled with reports and project plans. During the monsoon, you can hear the rain hitting the roof quite loudly, and the view of the police ground gets all misty. We usually have the windows open to catch the breeze. The staff here is a small group, and we all know each other’s lunch habits. We aren't trying to be a corporate giant; we just handle the day-to-day tasks here. Sometimes people come in asking about bamboo crafts, and we show them what’s being worked on. It’s a steady pace of work without too much rushing around. There are old fans that hum on the ceilings and the sound of the city is distant enough that it doesn’t bother us. It’s just a regular office doing its part in a quiet corner of the city, keeping things moving as well as we can every day.