PUTRAJAYA – Maskuri Mat Zaid, 40, picked up a passion for bamboo oil lamp-making when he was stuck at his hometown in Kok Lanas, Kelantan during the Movement Control Order (MCO) in the height of the pandemic in 2020.
The mechanic said he did not expect that his creations would draw the attention of his Facebook friends.
“When MCO was imposed, I cannot travel inter-state and return to Bangi, Selangor. I was worried about not being able to open my workshop which I have been running for the last 13 years. I just want to get rid of that feeling and came up with the idea to find bamboo and produce oil lamps.
"When I share pictures and videos on Facebook, many people praise the uniqueness of the multi-tiered bamboo lamp I designed. From there, I started making bamboo lamps as my second source of income," he told Bernama, when met at his home in Sungai Merab, Bangi.
Maskuri, fondly known as Nazar, said he was assisted by his two friends and his wife, Siti Abibi Rashid, 39, who is in charge of promoting the products.
Nazar said he will be working at the workshop during the day, while completing customer orders in the evening starting 9pm with the help of his two friends.
"When the lamps are ready, I will usually send it to the customer myself to maintain the quality of the products,” said the graduate of Giat Mara Pasir Puteh and Giat Mara Kota Baru in automotive technology.
He said the price for a single-tiered bamboo lamp is RM30 while two-tiered ones are sold at a price of RM50.
"If a customer orders a maximum of 30 bamboo lamps, I will give a discount," he said. – Bernama, April 20, 2023
