House of bamboo | Satyam Sundaram

If bamboo symbolises resilience, so does 27-year-old Satyam Sundaram. From modest beginnings in Purnia, Bihar, he now runs a thriving eco-enterprise that supplies 300 handcrafted bamboo products across 25 states.Satyam grew up in a household where sustenance came from his father’s humble vocation: cooking in the Bihar Police mess. Satyam tried hard for a government post, but fell short. An MBA in Kolkata became his turning point. Internships with major brands taught him persuasion, market strategy and the fundamentals of selling—skills that would define his career. Still, starting something of his own was easier said than done.In the postCovid wave of “return to nature” thinking, Satyam saw bamboo as an untapped alternative to plastic. However, securing finance was a battle. After months of running between offices, he finally obtained a Rs 7.91 lakh loan in February 2022 under the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP). Yet before factories and franchises, he spent long days on Purnia’s streets, selling bamboo bottles. “Those first sales taught me patience,” he recalls. “If you believe in your product, you stand there until someone else believes too.” Today, the transformation is striking. Step inside the headquarters of Manipuri Bamboo Architecture in Maranga, on Purnia’s edge, and the air carries a faint, woody sweetness. The showroom is crowded: sofa sets surrounded by delicate handbags, toothbrushes, tongue cleaners, thermos flasks, pen holders, toys; hundreds of bamboo artefacts line the walls. The factory—which stands on the two kathas of land (around 2,800 sq. ft) his father purchased—hums with activity. A bamboocutting machine slices cleanly through thick canes; polishing wheels turn in quiet rhythm; a generator stands ready for peak orders..preferred-source-banner{ margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom:10px;}Since its inauguration in May 2022 by Bihar’s then industry minister Shahnawaz Hussain, Manipuri Bamboo Architecture has grown into a Rs 40 lakhayear enterprise. Three franchise partners handle select cities; online sales are managed by Satyam, while his mother, Asha Anuragini, runs the thriving local outlet. The workshop team—many originally trained by master craftsmen from Manipur and Assam—works with seamless precision. From everyday cutlery to finely carved portraits and bamboo maps of India, each creation challenges plastic and celebrates resilience. “Bamboo bends, it doesn’t break,” Satyam says. “That’s been my story too.”- EndsPublished By: Shyam BalasubramanianPublished On: Aug 22, 2025

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House of bamboo | Satyam Sundaram

From modest beginnings in rural Bihar, an eco-enterprise now crafts 300 bamboo products sold across 25 states

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