The human beings have been using bamboo from time immemorial. Bamboo has played an important role in shaping the life of  people. The extensive use of the wood over ages for furniture and other products have upset the ecological balance resulting in phenomena like global warming .The number of trees in forests are decreasing and there is a need to supplement trees with other materials like bamboo .Kerala’s forests has a rich variety of Bamboo species that can be used for making bamboo based handicrafts. The  bamboo products are eco-friendly and  are light in weight and they have their own styles. Elegant strips of bamboo can be extensively used to make decorative items like mats, lampshades, trays, baskets, penholders, flower stand, tawas, tongs, jewellery, etc.