LAST year, on August 27, Masiyatu Tola-a remote hamlet nestling in the lap of the mountains in Kuro block of Lohardaga in Jharkhandwas all decked up. A tent was erected at the Akhra (tribal place of worship) in front of Hari's house to accommodate more than a 1,000 people. Hari, his family of 15, and other villagers were excited since morning. It was the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi, through his Mann Ki Baat, was going to address the tribal and the scheduled-caste residents of Masiyatu Tola-famous for its bamboo artisans.
The PM praised the artisans, assured them a better market for their craftsmanship and spoke of making them aatmanirbhar (self-reliant). The fortune of these artisans and the hamlet with 70 houses should have changed after that, but it didn't. A year later, Masiyatu Tola is still largely dependent on outward migration. Take for instance Hari, 55. Ten members from his family-the youngest is 17 and the eldest is 45-work at brick kilns in Uttar Pradesh for seven months in a year. They returned from a kiln just three months ago.
Hari's daughter Anita, 19, recalls the promise PM Modi had made to uplift them economically by providing them with a good market and remunerative prices for their bamboo products, "So far, we haven't got anything. We don't even get the right price for our bamboo products. We don't earn enough from our craft to run the household around the year. Nor can we rely on agriculture. There has been a dry spell for two years and the prospects of rain this time around don't seem very bright."
This story is from the August 21, 2024 edition of Outlook.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the August 21, 2024 edition of Outlook.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
No Singular Self
Sudarshan Shetty's work questions the singularity of identity
Mass Killing
Genocide or not, stop the massacre of Palestinians
Passing on the Gavel
The higher judiciary must locate its own charter in the Constitution. There should not be any ambiguity
India Reads Korea
Books, comics and webtoons by Korean writers and creators-Indian enthusiasts welcome them all
The K-kraze
A chronology of how the Korean cultural wave(s) managed to sweep global audiences
Tapping Everyday Intimacies
Korean filmmaker Hong Sang-soo departs from his outsized national cinema with low-budget, chatty dramedies
Tooth and Nail
The influence of Korean cinema on Bollywood aesthetics isn't matched by engagement with its deeper themes as scene after scene of seemingly vacuous violence testify, shorn of their original context
Beyond Enemy Lines
The recent crop of films on North-South Korea relations reflects a deep-seated yearning for the reunification of Korea
Ramyeon Mogole?
How the Korean aesthetic took over the Indian market and mindspace
Old Ties, Modern Dreams
K-culture in Tamil Nadu is a very serious pursuit for many