Pavan Kumar Maurya, TwoCircles.net
Varanasi: Bano Nisha once earned a modest but steady income stitching mirrors and decorative items onto bridal veils and dupattas (head scarves). She recalls a time when life felt a little more secure, when the rhythm of her needle punctuated her days with purpose.
“Before the COVID pandemic, I used to get work sewing mirrors and decorative items on dupattas and bridal veils. For that, I would earn Rs 30 for a dupatta, Rs 120 for a bridal veil and Rs 100 for a sari. Two women working together could finish three saris or two bridal veils in one day (about five hours). The merchants from Lallapura, Varanasi, sent saris, and merchants from Padow, Chandauli, sent dupattas and veils to us. After completing the work, we would receive our wages weekly. But during the pandemic, this work stopped, and since then, we have been struggling to earn even a few pennies,” she said.
Bano’s story, like that of countless others in Kamauli and Kotwa and Chhitauni in Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi and Kushi Nagar districts respectively, serves as a window into the wider plight of women in the weaving community — women who, just a few years ago, were earning enough to support their families and live with dignity. Today, their lives are marked by relentless struggle, underpaid labor and an ever-growing sense of insecurity.
A Community in Crisis
Kamauli, a small village located just 18-20 kilometers from the district headquarters of Varanasi, is home to many Julaha families — traditionally weavers who have spent generations creating hand-woven textiles. Once, women in Kamauli would spend their days crafting delicate saris, embroidering bridal veils and making intricate garlands, contributing to the thriving weaving economy of the region.
On average, they earned between Rs 3,000 and Rs 4,000 a month, a respectable amount that allowed them to be self-sufficient and support their children’s education.
However, everything changed with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic turmoil. The demand for handwoven textiles plummeted, the weaving industry slowed to a halt, and the livelihoods of these women were destroyed. In addition to the economic setbacks, government policies and the lack of targeted support for workers in the unorganised sector exacerbated the situation.
Bano Nisha, who once took pride in her craft, now finds herself struggling daily. “The old work is no longer available, but sometimes traders come to us for making pearl necklaces, but they pay very little. My eyesight has also been deteriorating. Because of this, I now run a small shop selling soaps, shampoos and biscuits,” she said.
Her story is a stark reminder of the fragility of livelihoods in the informal sector, where workers often live on the edge of survival and rely on daily wages that are “meager” and “inconsistent”.
Strain of Poverty, Loss of Opportunity
For young Gauri, who is just 16, the shift from weaving to making garlands has marked a loss not only of income but also of opportunity. Once she helped her mother embroider bridal veils, now she makes garlands from bela (jasmine) flowers to contribute to the family’s income. Her father, an e-rickshaw driver, struggles to support their family of seven.
Once a promising student, Gauri had to drop out of school after eighth grade. “I wanted to continue studying, but with so many people in the family, it is hard to even get two meals a day. My mother used to do weaving and embroidery, but that stopped. My father is the sole breadwinner, and his income is very limited. Because of financial constraints and poverty, I had to drop out of school. None of my siblings (two sisters and two brothers) could study beyond seventh or eighth grade,” she said.
Today, Gauri earns Rs 30 for making 100 garlands, her fingers often sore from the constant needlework. Yet, like many others in the village, despite the pain and the loss of her educational dreams, she has little choice but to continue this work.
A Lifelong Struggle for Basic Dignity
The situation faced by Gauri and her family is mirrored in the experiences of countless other women in Kamauli and surrounding villages. Their lives are dominated by the struggle for basic survival — ensuring enough food for the day, securing the health and safety of their children and navigating the challenges of an increasingly difficult economic environment.
Another woman from Kamauli, Shabana explained the relentless nature of their work. “The payment for making garlands does not reflect the effort involved. If we work for two days, we earn only Rs 15 to Rs 20. My mother-in-law and sister-in-law also help me with this work. So, for the whole week, we make a maximum of Rs 150. With inflation breaking our backs, and with everything needing to be bought, it is hard to manage. The wages come after a month or more. If the wages were fair, we would feel motivated, but due to unemployment, we have to do this unpaid labor. Sitting for hours, my knees and eyes start hurting. I am often in pain for days,” she shared.
Her words highlight a deeply troubling reality: women in the unorganised sector, especially in rural areas, are often subjected to exploitation without recourse or support. They lack any form of collective bargaining power or protection, as there are no unions or worker organisations to defend their rights.
The Wider Context: A National Crisis
The women of Kamauli are part of a broader national issue. According to the Economic Survey of India (2021-22), the unorganised sector employed approximately 43.99 crore people during 2019-20. Yet, despite their essential role in the economy, workers in this sector, especially women, are often excluded from welfare programs and government schemes. These women are deprived of social security benefits, such as minimum wage guarantees, health insurance and other legal protections that could provide a safety net.
The situation was made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic. While the government introduced the Atmanirbhar Bharat Rozgar Yojana (ABRY) in 2020 to help workers recover from the crisis, many in the weaving community, including the women of Kamauli, have been left out of this initiative. Instead of benefiting from these policies, they remain trapped in poverty, struggling to make ends meet.
The government’s spending on infrastructure and development is significant, but it often overlooks the most vulnerable sections of society. In rural areas like Kamauli, where women perform the bulk of the labor in traditional industries, their contributions are undervalued and their hardships ignored.
The stories of Bano Nisha, Gauri and Shabana are just a few examples of the dire situation faced by the women of Kamauli. These women are the backbone of the weaving industry in Varanasi and surrounding regions, yet their labor is undervalued, their wages are insufficient, and their voices go unheard.
(Pavan Kumar Maurya is a freelance journalist)