Struggle for Dignity

Shabnam a young girl from a nondescript village of Fatehpur in Uttar-Pradesh lives in a dilapidated room. Her father died when she was in 3rd standard. Two of her elder sisters got married and the burden of her family now rests on her shoulders. None in her family was literate but she wanted to study. Somehow she managed to graduate and is now utilizing her literacy as a tool against social injustice to herself and her community.

Shabnam’s family is into zari-zardosi work which pays little to sustain the family. Not that the work is any less in demand, the payments reaching down the real artisans is way too low and exploitation way too high.

Vidya Bhushan Rawat, an activist fighting for the rights of zardosi artisans like Sahbnam vociferously terms the zardosi worker’s exploitation by middlemen as “an organized crime against these unorganized people, a regular perpetuation of criminality mixed in class, gender and religious bias.”

There are nearly a thousand such zardosi workers in Fatehpur and most of them are forced to live a tough life. “Life is virtual hell for them as they seem to have no way forward. They are destined to live in such inhuman condition. For the beautiful art work that they do on the salwar-kameez which might be appreciated at Delhi market as superfine and quite expensive, these artisans get a meager amount,” says Rawat.

A 4-day-work of embroidery on a kurta, completed with the combined efforts of a group of women artisans fetches not more than Rs 40-60 per piece. In a month, most of the artisans fail to earn even a total sum of Rs 500. The men are definitely paid more, still their earning don’t exceed Rs 3,000 a month.

Vidya Bhushan tells, “Shabanam is uniting the zardosi artisans so as to be released from the clutches of the exploiting middlemen. They are not asking government for any aid, all they expect is a fair deal for producing that beautiful stuff. In the international market, the zardosi work is sold at a very high price but the hands behind that exquisite work remain suffering and wanting for basic necessities even.”

The zardosi workers always remain indebted to the contractors who in return keep on exploiting them. Zardosi work is not in demand all year round hence the artisans are workless for many months. Contractors don’t pay them on time and keep them waiting for payments for months. The artisans’ earned wage is treated as advance and used as a tool of exploitation.

Rawat says, “When I met Shabnam, her eyes raised loads of questions, I couldn’t answer one. I asked her if she had heard about MNREGA scheme which guarantees employment to all and she had a counter question, government is fine with paying 100 rupees for an eight-hour-labor while we, saving here a dying art which goes across the globe representing India’s exquisite craftsmanship and don’t get Rs 100 for a painstaking work of four days even, what an irony.”

Vidya Bhushan says, “Democracy doesn’t mean anything to them as it failed to protect them. They do not even know whether they have rights to get a dignified return for their work. Those who fight in their names have failed to benefits as most of these war cries actually created leaders and do not really resolve the issues of the people. I saw in the eyes of Shabanam the hope for future and the courage, which is essential in these moments of crisis.”

“I sincerely hope that there will be people who will be able to support such initiatives which can bring cheers in the lives of these people. These are people who make our brides look beautiful, boys handsome and have kept our art alive despite all their pains and troubles,” adds Vidya.

Vidya Bhushan Rawat is a full time Human Rights activist working on the issues of Dalits, Muslims, tribal and other marginalized and their democratic rights including access to land and other natural resources.

He was conferred with the prestigious award on Humanism by International Humanist and Ethical Union, London for spreading humanism and protection of human rights in India.