Jodhpur (Rajasthan)
At a time when everyone’s livelihood was affected during the COVID-19 nationwide lockdown, the humble sewing machine ensured a community of Pakistani Hindu refugees stayed afloat. The 1,200 people of this settlement in Anganwa, near the temple of Pabu Ji, 16 kilometres north-east of Jodhpur, Rajasthan, stitched masks and children’s shirts, and kept poverty at bay. This has now become a major income generator too.
The residents of this community originally hail from Mirpurkhas in Pakistan’s Sindh. Ganga (30), Bhuri (40), Gita (30), Anita (18), Takkhu (60) and Bhuri (19) are among the hundreds of people who arrived in India on a religious visa in the past five years with some members of their family and never went back. They say they experienced discrimination in Pakistan, and came to India without any clue as to how they would make a living. The Universal Just Action Society (UJAS), an institution working for Pakistani refugees, taught them sewing, and provided additional training to those who already knew it.
After a 13-kilometre journey on tarred roads, one walks down a dirt path with wild acacia shrubs on either side for three kilometres. This leads to the settlement with 250 huts constructed using bamboo and palm fronds. The floor is made of beaten mud and cow dung, and some houses sport tiled roofs. Some homes have solar panels, and about 10 to 20 households have a television, refrigerator and music system as well. The common area of the community has a desktop donated by UJAS, meant for the use of students who attend online classes.
More than half the homes have an electric sewing machine each. Women and men, ranging in age from 15 to 60, are busy stitching either masks or children’s shirts. These sewing machines helped the community tide over the crushing financial implications of the COVID-19 lockdown. “I arrived here two years ago from Pakistan. I knew a little sewing already, but learnt a lot in the training they provided. I am paid twelve rupees to stitch a shirt and four to five rupees for a mask. I make about thirty five shirts or hundred masks a day. I also do Sindhi embroidery and applique art,” Gita, who earns about Rs 400 a day, told Gaon Connection.
“I have a power connection at home and the sewing machine given to me by UJAS. With this income, I am easily able to meet the daily expenses of the household,” she said. Her husband earns about Rs 300 to Rs 350 a day. Her children benefit from the computer in the common area. “All the children of the colony attend class together,” said Gita.
Hem Singh, a community leader of sorts, arrived in India five years ago. “There are four settlements of Pakistani Hindus in Jodhpur. Women have been imparted sewing training in all these settlements. The refugees housed at the Jodhpur Municipal Corporation’s makeshift shelter are also engaged in sewing work,” he told Gaon Connection.
Ashok Suthar, an activist with Seemant Lok Sangathan, an institution working to resolve citizenship issues of Hindu refugees from Pakistan in Jodhpur, said UJAS, a subsidiary, tries to link the refugees with a livelihood. “The problem faced by those coming into India was what to do for a livelihood. This is why we trained them in sewing,” he told Gaon Connection.
In the Anganwa and Pal Road colonies, 200 families have been provided with sewing machines so far. “Our institution approached a garment company. The company cuts the clothes as per design and hands them over to these workers, who stitch them as per the pattern. The company takes back the finished pieces, and pays the workers immediately upon completion of work,” Suthar added.
Suthar pointed out that UJAS had set up 20 self-help groups in Jodhpur in collaboration with the Rajasthan government’s department of industries. An additional 10 groups were formed with the help of Ishwar Seva Foundation. All these groups work to promote the traditional arts of refugees and help train them and market their creations. To hone their skills, 50 women have also been trained at the National Institute of Fashion Technology, Jodhpur.
Mask-making as a livelihood
Suthar said the women made two- and three-ply masks that comply with government guidelines. About 250 women in Anganwa have made more than 1.5 lakh masks in the market since the March 2020 lockdown. “We also endeavour to preserve and promote their traditional art forms such as embroidery and applique art on handbags and dolls,” Suthar added.
Hindu Singh Sodha, the founder of Seemant Lok Sangathan, said most Hindu refugees coming from Pakistan have undergone so much pain and suffering, and even after coming here they face the challenge of citizenship and leading a regular life. “To empower them, we built upon their existing skills and trained them in sewing. Hundreds of families could stave off starvation because of this. Although the government stepped in later to help during the lockdown, families engaged in sewing work did not have any trouble feeding the people at home,” Sodha pointed out.
Apart from Jodhpur, there live a large number of Hindu refugees from Pakistan in Barmer and Jaisalmer districts. According to Sodha, there are about 6,000 refugee families from Pakistan in Rajasthan, comprising about 35,000 people. Out of this, 2,500 families live in Jodhpur.
