Two years ago when circumstances forced Nishant out of his college at the age of 17 and get into some lowly job to support his family, he was shattered. A young man’s dream of education and a better life in India’s eastern state of Bihar was almost on the verge of getting lost forever when some well-wisher suggested he could get back to his studies as well as earn his livelihood if he showed some grit and determination; by using the opportunity that was there but could not be appreciated by all - the handloom and the big silk industry of Bhagalpur.
Today, without any capital but by becoming a seller and aiding hundreds of handloom makers and manufacturers sell their products using his good communication, marketing, and internet skills, Nishant is not only back to his feet and education but now sees a huge career opportunity by becoming a big showroom owner and manufacturer himself possibly someday after putting together some money.
Hundreds of kilometers away, in Bengal, a few years ago, Biplab could not get into a paramilitary job because of some physical reasons but he did not lose hope. Using some money borrowed from friends and family, today he owns a manufacturing unit and employs several people and helps them with the chance to fight it out in this harsh world. Biplab is a happy man today who sometimes just stands outside his small manufacturing set up and just looks at the signboard, cigarette in hand.
What’s common in these two stories? Both Nishant and Biplab are using the rich Indian colours of the handloom industry by not just bringing some of it into their own lives but also bringing smiles, colours, and happiness in thousands of people they cater to, all across the country as well as outside. Together they are a chain of thousands of sellers, resellers, weavers, artisans spread across the country and keep the colours of our clothing and culture alive and spread them far and wide – like a big colourful rainbow.
Handloom industry is just this for many, it is not just a job but a small log for many in their turbulent rivers of life, like a shelter in the rainy days for an almost drenched lonely traveler, like a lighthouse to a lost man at sea almost about to lose hope. With close to 50 lakh people directly and indirectly involved, the handloom industry is the second-largest employment provider for the rural population in India after agriculture. So the next time when you go out to shop or buy online do think of buying some handloom, some handmade product – and along with the real vibrant colours of our country, you will also get some real fragrance of the soils on which perhaps many of you grew on.
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