Sujangarh (Raj) :  Coloured in rainbow spectrums beginning with shades of violet and ending with the reds, their craft is recognised the world over, but the artisans behind Rajasthan’s famed tie and dye industry say the future looks grey and bleak.

Demonetisation and GST have dealt a double blow to the bandhej’ workers of this town that employs thousands of people in the region.

This small town in Rajasthan’s Shekhawati region wouldn’t ring a bell for most but the art of tie and dye, more famously known as ‘bandhej’, going back centuries, strikes an instant chord.

A globally-known handicraft, with tie and dye scarves, saris, table linen and more sought after the world over, should put the community on the better side of financial scale, but industry insiders said they struggle to make ends meet.

With another Lok Sabha election around the corner, they hope for a better government to make their lives easier.

Sujangarh falls in Churu constituency, which goes to the polls on May 6.

“We can’t even think about making profits. It is more like buying raw material and selling the finished products at bare minimum margins so we can get two square meals. After GST it has become worse. There is hardly any business left for us,” said Mangilal Chhipa.

Mangilal, in his late 60s, has been in the business since he was just seven years old. He now heads a family of 22, most of them in the same sector.

His is among the 600 families of the Chhipa Muslim community which control the cottage industry in the area. Selling bandhej’ products have become difficult after the implementation of GST, he said.

Profit margins of the cottage industry, comprising a largely uneducated work force, are spent taking care of their GST accounts through chartered accountants.

“We are talking about families where the most educated person is 8th pass, or 10th. And they barely make any profit, they don’t understand the technicalities of GST, said Hanif Bhati, head of the Chhipa Welfare Society.

Some of them hire a chartered accountant to take care of their GST accounts, but that itself costs Rs 2,000 – 3,000 per month, which is their entire month’s profit margin,” Bhati added.

Demonetisation is another burden to bear, he said, as most business was transacted in cash.

Aslam Maulani, whose family has dyed clothes for decades, said he is one of the lucky ones to have done decently and now owns a mini mill to colour fabric.

But his list of complaints is long.

Maulani said the Union Textiles ministry announced the Artisan Credit Cards scheme in 2003 and there were benefits like easier bank loans, pension plans, and cheaper travel in roadways.

“However, the scheme stopped in a year or so. The government is still making the cards but they are useless. While such information fails to reach us through right channels, the largely uneducated community also ignores it to save the trouble of going from one office to another,” Maulani said.

Sometimes, scheme related information doesn’t reach the intended audience. And when it does, it is usually too complicated for anyone to follow, he added.

The artisans buy bolts of fabrics from Bhiwandi and Ahmedabad, and dyes from local markets in Sikar, Jhunjhunu and Ahmedabad.

The process of making a bandhej’ piece involves cutting the fabric, bleaching, marking designs on it, tying small knots on the designs, and finally several stages of washing and dying before the clothes are again washed and dried.

“All of these stages involve at least 20,000 families in 150km area around Sujangarh. So, in a way, we are providing employment to these many families. What is the government’s role in it? None. And a single piece requires at least a week to be completely ready. For the profit of barely Rs 10 to 20,” Bhati said.

What is expected of the government and its representatives?

“We want the government to recognise us as an industry that has given employment to lakhs of people in rural areas. If we are treated as an industry, given land, provided with capital and a proper plan to channel our products, the community can also grow like any other. But sadly, governments have come and gone and there’s hardly any change in our lives,” he added.

Aslam Chhipa said this is his ancestral work and he knows no other. His hopes are pinned on the next government.

“Eight of our family are in this work, and we are happy doing what we do. We just hope the next government looks at our condition and plans something for us. If nothing else, at least buy products from us so we don’t have to sell at bare minimum margins,” he said.

The ball then could be in the court of the next MP from the area.

Congress’ Rafiq Mandela is contesting from the seat against BJP’s sitting MP Rahul Kaswan.

PTI

 24/4/2019