Chikan karigars get int’l recognition, but netas deny their due

LUCKNOW: Their grievances are as old as the calluses on their fingers that work intricate patterns of chikankari on fine cloth. They make little out of their art, which fetches thousands in the market, draping Bollywood starlets and foreign tourists alike.

And they have little support from politicians of any hue and colour.

“It is an old practice now. They come to seek votes in the narrow lanes of Old City and see us busy with our embroidery. Artisan credit cards, fair remuneration and recognition—all are promises that have failed to materialise since decades,” says Shameena, now in her fifties, who has been doing embroidery work from home for years.

When Chikankari got the Geographical Indication some years ago, the artisans, a majority of whom are women, were hopeful that the international branding would ensure a fair remuneration for their toil. But they still struggle to make ends meet.

“We artisans are the backbone of this craft. But it is sad that we are the most neglected ones. The designers take our embroidery, do their own cuts and designs and sell the attire at sky-high prices in the name of chikankari. They mint money lots of money, but we are still where we were generations ago,” says Ruksana Begum, who gets embroidery assignments from a showroom in the city’s posh market.

SEWA Chikan CEO Runa Banerjee says, “Schemes exist only on paper and the benefits are a mere formality. The ground reality is that the state has no record of the lakhs of chikankari workers and has no plan for them, though they form a major chunk of voters.”

“A suit that takes full one month to embroider and costs thousands of rupees in the market gets us only Rs1,500. Will any political party ever address this issue?” said Asma, a resident of Ghadikanaura slum near Old City.

Even after repeated promises, there are no credit facilities for chikan karigars.

However, Runa says the artisans’ thinking has changed over the years. “There were times when these women would vote for the candidate prescribed by their religious leaders or other influential people in their area. But today, things are very different.”

The illiterate women ensured that their children went to school and this has brought about a change in their mindset. However, they are yet to receive their share, Runa adds.

The artisans demand their rights in the parties’ manifestos. “We need ideas that are implemented and not just false promises. No one has come to seek votes from us this time. But when they come, we will ask them what their plans for us are,” says Kanchan, another young chikan karigar.