I also live in Banaras. The muslim weavers of course have been very busy people for many years. Due to this they have many children (over 5-9) to work on the looms. Now they're jobless, many are commiting suicide like the farmers in Maharastra. THIS IS A TRUE STORY OF LAST YEAR: A friend of mine owns a store in Barabazar, Varanasi (a place that cud confuse you to a pakistani city). By accident, an old muslim weaver's lungli caught fire while my friend was burning his old papers out side his shop. This old man got 80% burns, and was treated in a private hospital at my friend's expense. 2 weeks later the old man succumbed to his burns. My friend paid off his family and I offered a job to his son. It was all very upsetting... The family invited us to their home after his funeral, as we became close to them. The old man had 8 sons and those sons had another 12 kids in total, add the women and you have an entire family of unemployed people. We saw their looms that have cobwebs on them.
While leaving and saying last kuda-hafis after a wreaking month of money-guzzling hositals, cops, death and political "apna roti-seko" tensions (my friend is a highcaste Brahmin) the youngest son murmured in my ear in Bhojpuri "good that abu has left, what would he do, theres nothing to do. At least the money you gave will keep us alive for some time, abu had become 'baekar' (useless) anyway..."
How terrible can that be? Politician are using the weavers still only as a vote bank.
RE:first hand experience from another Banarasi
by df on Apr 22, 2007 01:04 PM Permalink
Is there any other fiction that you can write. This was just pathetic.
