UP Elections 2017: Skilled artisans bemoan apathetic attitude of political parties

Even as Uttar Pradesh (UP) for over centuries had famed itself as a “skill state” with its every region specialising in a particular proficiency, there is hardly anything in the kitty of political parties to revive these fading trades. The handloom skill of Mubarakpur in Azamgarh district, furniture and wood carving in Saharanpur, horn craft of Sambhal, brassware of Moradabad, glassware of Firozabad, carpet weaving in Mirzapur, lock manufacturing in Aligarh, knives and cap making in Rampur and zardozi works of Bareilly are calling for attention. These trades were once the backbone of country’s economy.

Much before Mubarakpur in Azamgarh district caught media attention for wrong reasons, it was an internationally acclaimed center for its handloom and particularly Banarsi Saris. In terms of prosperity and circulation of wealth, the town was known as Mini-Saudi till two decades back. The Nagar Palika Parishad chairman Dr. Shamim Ahmed tells DNA on phone that the stories of prosperity are now history. “The skilled workers are leaving their trades, for want of support and are moving to greener pastures,”” he said.  He added the communal polarisation and recurrence of riots in the region has also kept traders away from the town.

He laments that no political party has any concrete programme to revive skills in the state. Instead of coming up with fancy and grandiose schemes, there was a need to link these trades and skills with education. “There was need to set up ITIs , engineering and design institutes to engage in Research and Development to cater to modern day tastes,” he said.

Over past several elections, most of these skilled workers, right from Saharanpur, Moradabad, Rampur to Mubarakpur, had put their lot with the Samajwadi Party (SP). But they feel ditched. The SP manifesto, released by chief minister Akhilesh Singh, promises skill development and self-employment schemes, but their no mention of saving existing skills or linking them with education. The BJP manifesto has also a similar lexicon promising creation of employment opportunities, promoting skills and self-employment and providing a platform for start-ups.

Artisans and traders complain that emotive and security related issues have pushed their economic woes to the backburner. Over the past several years, people are deserting these trades for want of easy loan facilities and also health issues. In Moradabad, nearly 11,000 artisans associated with brassware are now plying rickshaw and auto-rickshaws in the streets of Moradabad. There is a similar scenario in Rampur where most of the artisans, who were masters of knife-making, are now rickshaw pullers.  Chairman of Tanda Nagar Nigam Shahabuddin Gauri laments as to why this knife manufacturing could not be supported and developed to challenge international brand Swiss knife.

In Sambal, a town where some 40,000 artisans in filthy surroundings are engaged in transforming soiled bones and animal horns into wold class ornaments. Abdul Wahid, engaged in the trade for over past 35 years says that while politicians during elections promise them an uninterrupted power supply, plastic combs and Chinese goods were killing his trade. “I purchase an animal horn for Rs 80 from a trader and then after finishing and working on it for over 10-15 hours, the ornament for Rs 150, a meagre amount,” he says. Having inhaled bone dust over all these years, Wahid is a chronic asthma patient. “Banks want us to produce endless identities and papers and I am not sure,  even after arranging all these things, if I can then repay loans,” says Wahid.

In Saharanpur wood market Haji Furqan tells DNA that they used to annually trade almost between Rs 500-600 crore worth finished products. But Furqan, who is president of wood carving and manufacturing association, says the estimates suggest that trade will not cross more than Rs 15—200 crore by the end of this financial year. In Barreily’s Shamatgangj locality hub of zardozi works, artisans have left and are now engaged in selling vegetables. Moen Khan, a wholesale dealer of zardozi works, has lost a big export order.  Nearby Afroz, a zari worker says, these trades will revive and once again become the backbone of country’s economy if they are linked to education and given support like the Amul in Gujarat got."