HYDERABAD: Jado Laghari, leading a 50-member rilly-making cluster of women artisans in Johi, Dadu district, looks upset after the losing their market-ready stock and raw material to devastating rains/flood after Nai Gaj, a rain-fed storm river, spilled over its banks and washed everything in the nearby towns away.
However, they are adamant to rise to the occasion with some help from the authorities and others as these rains/floods may, though, have taken away their handiwork, they would never be able to wash away the skills that run in their blood.
This group of women artisans supplies their products to vendors at the local market to earn a little, but recent rains/floods deprived them of their livelihood, rendering them even more vulnerable.
The artisans associated with traditional industry have suffered blows one after another at the hands of natural disasters that seem as if they are there to stay.
The current year started with pandemic panic in the entire world. The government locked down the province of Sindh in mid-March, restricting the people to stay at home so that the spread of the COVID-19 could be curtailed. Hundreds of rural artisans were among the people to follow the rules and stayed idle for longtime.
Hardly a few artisans, who had raw material continued their work but could not find a place to sell it during the lockdown. A large number of women workers were among them who could not resume their professional activities at home to utilise the time purposefully because of unavailability of raw material.
The flood was another unfortunate phenomenon, the artisans had to face, as many have lost their ready stock and raw material in Johi neighbourhood. Nai Gaj hit the area on August 8, 2020, devastating a wide area in Johi taluka, pushing the families, including those of crafts-persons, to bear the brunt of natural calamity.
“I have witnessed personally it was nepotism that did not let the poor workers qualify for the criteria set by certain political elites and the government. The truly vulnerable families were ignored while distributing food and other essential items at the difficult time,” Jado Laghari said.
Johi is the hub of artisans, with a variety of skills, including hand embroidery, rilly-making, stitching caps, and other handicrafts.
Jado herself lost her home and the products she had so painstakingly crafted, spending hundreds of hours.
Earlier, oil companies have also contributed to promote this traditional craft industry and donated raw materials through non-governmental oranisations (NGOs). But later these artisans were isolated in terms of financial help, it was learned by local activists.
Asan Menghwar, a member of another potential cluster of women artisans in Kadhan Town, Badin district, has a similar story to tell about the rain/flood devastation.
The Menghwar community people, living under makeshift abodes, have lost each and everything in the flood.
“We have saved our lives only. Devastating rain and breaches in artificial drains have together contributed to causing destruction and displacement of the people,” she said.
“In this situation, how could the poor workers have saved the valuable products and raw material,” she asked.
Badin is the worst affected district of Sindh province, in which not only rains but breaches in the artificial drains have also caused losses to the people, including handicraft industry workers.
These rural artisans are considered skilled in different trades and contribute more to the national economy. In fact the majority of entrepreneurs has their crafts and operate independently without any franchise mechanism.
It depends on the area, where the crafts workers prepare their handmade products for local markets. Despite the importance and role in the economy, these workers are being neglected at the time of difficulties.
Shakeel Abro, Director Sindh Indigenous and Traditional Crafts Company (Sitco), claims to have fixed a little stipend for artisans, registered with them through different clusters, adding, the amount was not enough for these workers to cope with the challenges of rising prices and shrinking market mechanisms.
The pandemic itself had compelled a large number of craft workers in the province to stay idle for a long time. When the government announced relaxation through opening of markets, the other rain/flood disaster disrupted workers’ plans to sell their products or continue their work. He said they were receiving calls from artisans, residing in different areas for help after devastation of rain/floods. “We have taken initiative and ae mobilising resources to help them at maximum level, but there is a need for specific packages for the workers in the crafts industry,” he said.
There are 216 artisan clusters with different trades in the province. Rilli is the largest, as a majority of village women have this skill and they contribute.
Hand-embroidery is the second largest cluster, because there are different kinds of needlework, known with specific areas and clans.
Ajrak and Blue pottery are the organized clusters in the province, which have their workshops and skilled workforce associated with them.
Presently, the rain floods have destroyed shelters of artisans in different areas and they need support to have shelter and a safe workplace.
Sindh provincial government had built artisan cities with workshops, shops for specific markets and a community center in 1973—74 in Bhitshah, Matiari district, where worker families are living. Iqbal Halepoto, Director Sindh Small Industry Corporation (SSIC) said the two more artisan cities, comprising 100 residential quarters, 10 market shops and 50 workshops were built each in Hala New, Matiari district and Mithi, Tharparkar district in 2017.
The both artisan cities are under development and will be handed over to the families as per set criteria.
Halepoto said the residential quarters and shops in the Artisan City in Mithi were wrongly awarded to families, who were not artisans and later these infrastructures were evacuated by the SSIC. “Now again a policy for artisans living in the artisan towns in Hala and Mithi is being designed by the SSIC to hand over the market, workshops, and residences to proper craft worker families, so they may live and work in a safe environment,” the SSIC official said.
The people associated with different traditional trades believe the government’s policy should be transparent for promoting crafts with facilitating all workers equally, living in the entire province. Because the majority of workers is vulnerable and lives under poor economic conditions, they are sitting ducks for natural disasters and face unimaginable hardships to survive.