Varanasi: Varanasi's famous and highly skilled weavers might get the unenviable distinction of chronic hunger and malnourishment, like the Mussahars and Sahariyas. With the handloom industry battling extinction for over a decade now, malnourished children of weavers is the starkest face of this unfolding tragedy. Congress general secretary, Rahul Gandhi is hard selling the UPA's 6,000 crore rupees weaver package in poll bound Uttar Pradesh.
In a political rally, Rahul Gandhi said, "he is Faizan and I want to let you know that he is a common man. He is one who has the power and potential to change your fate. He changed the entire policy of the Central government which was formulated for the weavers," Rahul Gandhi credited young Faizan for the Congress's 6000 crore rupees package for weavers, but the relief may never reach those who need it most.
In Mehbubpur village of Varanasi region, Raisuddin, a weaver says that he has not been able to afford milk for his children for years now. His daughter Nargis, is three but weighs just 6 kilos. She suffers from grade 4 malnutrition because her mother, Noor Jahan, often went without food when Nargis was conceived. Raisuddin is mostly out of work. He says he rarely earns more than 1800 rupees in a month. His daughter's condition fills him with helplessness and regret, "I feel deeply sad when I see my daughter. I have a great regret. But what can I do? Where can I go? I have no money."
Four out of five of Noor Jahan's children were born at home. When Nargis was born, she was so weak that villagers did not give her a chance. Ironically, Saina, the fifth one was born in the PHC and did not survive.
A visit to the mini anganwadi, run by the state government, confirms our fears as 24 of the 35 children under five are underweight there. Bharti, the anganwadi worker says, " when Nargis was brought here we were scared to see her. We are trying hard, let's hope that she recovers."
In Dhannipur, Zuber, seven years old, one Imtiaz and Sabeena's four children. Zuber is stunted and wasting. Infact, all of Sabena's children are underweight. The family income depends on how many saris Imia gets to weave with each earning him 900 rupees. In a good month, he weaves five, but that is rare. Sabena cleans woven saris and at 20 rupees per saree, she adds another 600 rupees every month. Food is a luxury in this house. Sabeena says, "I purposely make watery khichdi, add sugar to water to substitute for milk… and sometimes, the entire family goes hungry". Sabeena's family never had a BPL card.
10 of the 11 kids under five in Dhannipur are underweight. So acute is the distress in the handloom industry that even the old are not spared. In Bazardiha, Sahidunnissa works hard, her wrinkled fingers stringing tiny beads into a necklace, thick glasses on her eyes. She says, "at the end of the day, if she makes twelve such necklaces, she'll get five rupees"! Sahidunnissa's sons and grandsons, daughters in law and great grand children are all engaged in weaving. Yet, the five rupees that Sahidunissa makes is precious.
Most of these weavers will not benefit from Rahul Gandhi's promised debt waiver scheme as they do not take institutional credit. Imtiaz says, " we do not take loans from the Sayeeda Hameed, member, Planning Commission says, I think we really have to think differently, putting more money into schemes that have not worked for the past 67 years will not make much of a difference. This is not the first time we have heard of loan waivers, but the same hands are going to be involved in distributing the money. Will they really have the guts to step over the threshold and ask for loans? 4000 is a lot of money, I hope but I don't see that it is going to be a great success
Varanasi's famous weavers are jobless and their children are starving. Empty election promises will not save them.
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