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In the
driving seat Hooked
to Net marts Fruitful
fare Asian of
the year
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A stitch in time saves lives
Chikan embroidery has become a source of sustenance for women victims of the Godhra violence.
Tarannum Manjul reports
Chikan,
a name synonymous with the finest embroidery of Uttar Pradesh, has become a
symbol of courage and a ray of hope for the women victims of communal riots
of Godhra.
At a first glance, their pieces of chikan embroidery may look
simple and ordinary, just like several others that are made in Lucknow and
surrounding areas everyday. But, each of their pieces for suits and sarees
have a story to tell.
Woven in them are the stories of trauma and
sufferings of the women victims of Godhra violence, who are now trying to
embroider new dreams through these chikan garments. The bright and vibrant
colours of these pieces are a symbol of hope and rehabilitation, for
thousands of these women, who have suffered one of the worst ordeals of
their lives. An initiative of Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA),
Lucknow, the chikan garments embroidered by Godhra women are finding sellers
not only in Lucknow but even abroad. "They are bright in colour,
hence, are a big hit in the international market," says Runa Banerji,
the chief operation officer (CEO) of SEWA, which has been instrumental in
making women in the rural areas of Uttar Pradesh self-employed, using chikan
as a tool. After the Godhra violence, several NGOs from different parts of
the country went to meet the victims. They offered study reports and fact
findings, but none could offer any rehabilitation programme, as most of the
victims refused to take any money without doing any work. Runa Banerji and
Sehba Hussain of SEWA decided to make efforts towards rehabilitation of
women and make them bread earners for their families. The chikan embroidery
training was a part of the rehabilitation activities by SEWA at Godhra, and
during their training, the trainers realised that the embroidery not only
helped the women in finding an income-generating activity, but also helped
in removing their fears and forgetting their past. "We’ve had
several cases where we saw women not only opening up, but also trying to
cope with their past and make a new beginning. They all had been mentally
and sexually exploited and it took us four months to make them talk to
us," remembers Banerji. The trainers, who were sent from Lucknow to
Godhra, have interesting stories to share. "There was a woman who had
been raped by 14 men. Every time she saw white cloth (which is dominant in
chikan embroidery), she used to start crying. When we asked the reason, she
told us that she had been wearing white when the incident happened. We gave
her colourful clothes to do chikan work and, today, she is one of our best
craftswoman in Godhra," remembers Chanda, a trainer from SEWA who lived
in Godhra for three months. The fabrics given to the Godhra women ranged
from mauve to green to blue and red, but after a year, the women have
started using white cotton and georgette too. Baby, a Hindu trainer, had a
tough time getting the trust of the victims, who were primarily
Muslims. "They never spoke to me. Even Runa-Di was threatened, with
the maulanas telling her ‘tum kya sochti ho ki bindi lagake aaogi aur
hum tum par vishwaas kar lenge?’ (what do you think that you will come
here wearing a bindi and we will trust you?). But we managed to convince the
women that we were trying to bring them out of the trauma," remembers
Baby. Today, she is one of the favourite trainers in Halol district,
adjoining Godhra. More than a year has passed and now some 300 women are a
part of the chikan-making unit in districts of Godhra and Halol. They earn
over Rs 3000 per month. "They do take more time than the Lucknow
artisans but their craftsmanship is truly delightful," says Banerji,
who has recently been nominated for the Nobel peace prize for her
initiatives of communal peace and harmony. Apart from retailing these
garments in Lucknow, Banerji is even taking these garments to London, where
she would be holding an exhibition. "We are planning to go to Gujarat
again, as hundreds of women have to be rehabilitated after the floods have
hit Gujarat," says Banerji. And to fuse the Lakhnawi andaaz
completely with the Gujarati moods, she is also planning to introduce
patterns that can absorb both the earthiness of Gujarat’s Kutch embroidery
and the finesse of Lucknow’s chikan. "My design department is
working at achieving this goal. By making both these styles fuse, we will
not only make these garments different but would be able to find a whole new
market, both in India and abroad, for them," says a hopeful Banerji.
— TWF
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Jamnaben happily dons her driver’s uniform and travels about 250 km a day. She, however, finds that prejudices of men haven’t changed and lower-level workers are not given the respect they deserve. T. Raina meets the country’s first woman bus driver.
For
Jamnaben Dhansukhbhai Brijwasi, 58, her marriage to Dhansukhbhai Brijwasi in
1965 was a turning point. She recalls, "In those days, when a father
promised his daughter’s hand in marriage to a family, he did not go back
on his word. Not even if the family was in dire straits." So, at the
age of 17, she was married.
Although she led a comfortable life in her
parental home, life after marriage was very tough. It was imperative for
both husband and wife to earn a livelihood. Dhansukhbhai, a milk van driver,
decided to teach his wife how to drive a bus. "I had studied only up to
Class VII. So, I did not have the luxury of choosing what work I would do.
Taking up a man’s profession was the only way one could earn a decent
living," she says.
Today, Brijwasi is the only bus and truck driver
in Gujarat. As we walk around the Gujarat State Transport Corporation (GSTC)
office in Geetamandir, Ahmedabad, it is evident that this has been her
domain for decades. People in the office treat her as they would any male
driver. But one is curious, nonetheless - why, of all professions, did she
choose bus and truck driving? "This was not a conscious career choice.
It was just that my husband taught me how to drive a truck. Fortunately for
me, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared 1975-76 as the Year of the
Woman. The SEWA (Self-Employed Women’s Association) chairperson, Ela
Bhatt, helped me get a job with GSTC." Brijwasi began work when she
was 23, a young woman who had never left home without a ghoonghat before.
She had to gather courage, though, and take up the work to feed her family.
Today, she happily wears her bus driver’s uniform — khakhi shirt and
trousers. "I enjoyed wearing trousers and shirt as it gave me a more
authoritative look than a saree would have in the workplace. Also my job was
to look confident and not feminine," she says. A couple of years after
she started working, Dhansukhbhai died. The death of her 35-year-old son in
an accident, when she was 50, was another big heartbreak. Her work and the
struggle to eke out a decent living offered some solace, though. Brijwasi’s
work has always ensured that she’s been in the thick of action. She has
driven cars, buses and trucks for the government. "My work involves
travelling at least 200-250 km in and around Gujarat at all hours of the
day." She is not worried about the fact that she is required to work
odd hours. But does she face no sexual harassment at work? How does she
protect herself? To this, she firmly replies, "Didi, majaal hai kisi
ki ke aankh utha ke bhi dekhe. (Sister, no one dare so much as look at
me.) I am wearing my uniform, and I know all the techniques of self-defence.
When my husband was still alive, he trusted me implicitly and supported me
in my work. If you are firm and self-reliant, there will be no difficulties.
God helps those who help themselves, and God was particularly kind to
me." The best part of her job, Brijwasi feels, is that it has made
her self-reliant. "Working as a bus driver has empowered me. I don’t
need a man for any kind of security today. I don’t have to ask for money
or protection, because I am very capable myself," she says. But her
unique status has its downsides as well: "I feel that, even after so
many years of service, a driver is always considered only a driver. We are
always asked to wait outside. I have some problems socially also. The Gujjar
families of Rajasthan — that’s my community — consider me an outcast,
someone who doesn’t respect customs and traditions. I have single-handedly
raised three sons, and am now supporting their wives and grandchildren. But
my sons’ wives consider it embarrassing to be seen with me at social
functions. They don’t realise how hard this has been for me." As a
woman bus driver, Brijwasi has had to face the prejudices and jealousy of
both male and female colleagues. "The men haven’t changed, and the
women are not happy with my progress. All this talk of bettering the lot of
women and empowerment should reach the inner bureaucratic circles as well.
The government needs to do a lot more to ensure that the lower-level
workers, especially women, get their due respect. There should be a certain
degree of discipline and professionalism attached to every job — even for
lower-level officers and workers," she says passionately. Brijwasidays
are packed. She wakes up at 5 am, completes her household chores, cooks food
for the family and then reaches the bus depot around 9.30 am. She drives her
bus, transporting goods from one place to another or dropping passengers
from one end to the other, and then finally goes home when the bosses ask
her to leave. Even in the midst of this strenuous routine, Brijwasi has a
vision beyond her work. She says, "I want to work for SEWA, and do
something for women. Being a bus driver was never an ambition for me. This
is my source of livelihood. And what ambition can I have now at this age? I
have lived a life of constant struggle to make ends meet, and I will now
retire in a few months." Poverty pushes Brijwasi to work and to
obediently carry out her bosses’ orders. But what she really wants is to
walk into the lives of people, so that her struggles could make a difference
to the lives of others. — WFS
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Grains, all meats, and composite dishes like pizza and spaghetti and
meatballs did not do that well, said Nicole Darmon of the Institute
Scientifique et Technique de la Nutrition et de l’Alimentation at
Paris. The researchers studied 129 fruits and vegetables and 508 other
foods. The fruits and vegetables ranged from processed and canned
products but excluded dried fruits and potatoes, the health portal
MedPage Today reported. The researchers found energy density and
nutrient density scores were negatively correlated, showing that
high-calorie foods are also the ones with the lowest nutrient
content. Sugar is the cheapest food, the authors said, but that is only
true when looking at their calorie-per-price ratio. But when evaluating
the nutritional value of sweets and desserts, they did poorly on a
nutrient-per-price scale. The nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables were
associated with higher food costs per 100 grams, however, the authors
said these foods still provided the best nutrient content for their
listed prices. They say that high daily consumption of low calories,
nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables have been associated with reduced
risks for cardiovascular disease, cancer, and several other chronic
illnesses. — IANS
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Surina
Narula, a British Indian businesswoman who is also known as a high-profile
campaigner for a number of charity organisations, has been awarded the Asian
of the Year 2005 prize. Among other causes, Narula has also raised funds for
street children in India. The award has been instituted by the Asian Who’s
Who International, the annual publication that chronicles the
achievements of British Asians. The first edition of the publication,
brought out by Jasbir Singh Sachar, a school teacher-turned-publisher, had
only 250 entries of British Asian achievers. The latest edition has over
2,000 entries. The award was presented to Surina Thursday recently at a
glittering function at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London by Kartar Lalvani,
winner of the Asian of the Year award in 2003. To mark the 30th anniversary
of the publication, Sachar announced the launch of two new awards. R.S.
Baxi, chairman and managing director of J and H Sales (International) — a
company dealing in waste paper from the US, Britain, France and several
European countries, and exporting them to India, China and many Far Eastern
countries — won the Asian Leadership in Europe award. Avtar Lit, founder
of Sunrise Radio, the largest commercial Asian radio network in the world,
was chosen for the Asian Leadership in Diversity Award. Prominent among
those who attended the awards ceremony were earlier recipients of the award,
Lord Swraj Paul, Keith Vaz, Bhikhu Parekh, G.K. Noon, Shreela Flather, Raj
Loomba, Navnit Dholakia, Gurdip Singh Gujral and Karan Bilimoria. — IANS |
J