Manav Seva Sansthan

Amar Ujala Bureau

Fatehpur. Despite the claims of the government and administration for betterment of artisans, ground reality was different. The artisans are quite sad over administrative neglect. Despite back breaking labour these women and men artisans were not getting two square meals, while contractors and middlemen selling their wares were reaping riches. The artisans say if the administration extends financial assistance and makes marketing facilities available, they can become financially strong.

Shabnam, an artisan residing in Chaudharana locality of the city says with grief if administration continued with neglect of the artisans, this art will definitely die. How long the art can be kept alive on hungry stomachs, she asked. The point to be noted is that the artisans prepare artefacts by taking loans from the moneylenders, but are not able to get sufficient returns because of lack of marketing facilities.

A resident of Muraintola locality Shama Parveen says that despite giving 24 hours time to the art, her six member family does not get enough food. For this other tasks have to be done. She says for keeping art alive they have to look to the contractors. They decorate cloths of contractors by their art, but they get only marginal profit. In reply to a question, she said that after working for a fortnight, they hardly got 250 to 300 rupees.

Shahnaj Pareen, a student of BA residing in the same locality said if the administration gives financial assistance, the artisans will definitely take brighten up the country's name in the world. The artisans' fingers still have magic on whose strength they can create unique work on cloth, wood and plastic.

BA student Kalpana residing in Shadipur said it was such an art through which ten can be raised from one, but because of lack of finances no artisan was able to progress. Even after hard labour, these young men and women were able to earn pittance, while contractors and middlemen were getting richer. The artisans demanded the government and administration to keep this art alive and extend financial assistance to raise their socio-economic standard.

(Translated from report published in Hindi daily Amar Ujala, December 25, 2007)