Author: Stephen David
Publication: India Today
Date: December 29, 2003
Introduction: Famed for making the
Kolhapuri chappals, shoemakers of a nondescript town leave behind their
exploited existence to begin designing, fabricating and marketing the footwear
themselves
Balabai Kamble is a global Indian
in her own right. She may not be able to converse in any language other
than in the local patois but the 37-year-old from Athani in Belgaum district
of Karnataka has made giant strides overseas. Part of a family of Samagars,
cobblers by tradition, she has indeed come a long way. For years, like
the 100 other artisans in the area, Kamble was burdened by debt. To pay
off her creditors, she handcrafted the famed Kolhapuri chappals and sandals
in silence. She neither knew who bought the products or what they sold
for. Hers was an unquestioning existence, an attitude born as much of social
traditions as the crippling debt she was confronted with each day.
Today all that has changed. It's
almost as if the rain clouds lifted, leaving a sunny day behind. Sitting
in the comfort of her new concrete home in Athani, her eyes on the television
screen in front of her, she talks. She can go on for hours on the nitty-gritty
of her business. She talks about her designs, about sales, about her changed
life. The turning point, she tells you, came three years ago when she and
her husband Maruti joined a government-NGO initiative that helped them
bypass the exploitative middle men and sell Kolhapuri chappals directly
in international markets. In a community that does not even get a chance
to visit other parts of Karnataka, she is justifiably proud of having attended
a leather fair at Dusseldorf, Germany. For her it was a singular event
that enabled the clearing of a lifelong debt.
It's much the same story with the
other artisans too. Members of well-defined self- help groups under the
umbrella of the Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI), National Leather
Development Programme (NLDP) and Bangalore's Asian Centre for Entrepreneurial
Initiatives (Ascent), they are an empowered lot who are only now realising
their full potential. Building on the strength of instincts that have passed
through numerous generations, they hone their skills at training sessions
to keep pace with global requirements whether it is in terms of design,
production, costing and pricing or delivery. But what they learn here not
only helps them produce better sandals but also encourages them to take
charge of their lives and assert their positions in society.
According to its director T. Ramasami,
the CLRI takes care of the product standardisation and quality controls.
It also makes arrangements for the artisans to participate in international
shoe fairs. It is not surprising, therefore, that the Kolhapuri chappals
are as much in demand in Japan, the US or Israel as they are in the domestic
market. "Foreigners like designer footwear," says Lakkavva Honakande, "and
embroidered silks decorated with crystals and beads are the new rage."
Like most women, Honakande focuses her efforts on the sandal uppers. The
men, in a peculiar Samagar gender-defined role, stick to fabricating the
sole.
A leader of sorts among the women
artisans, Honakande is an authority on the subject of shoe uppers. The
45-year-old craftswoman was once addicted to tobacco. Today she carries
herself with an enviable command. Her self-assertion has not only helped
pay off huge loans but has also enabled her to open a profitable grocery
shop.
"The project has brought about a
sea change in the women who are breaking free of bondages," says Ascent
chief Madhura Chatrapathy. Artisans like Vatsala Saudagar and Kalavathy
Sanakki are in fact talking of their own development and marketing organisation
today. To be christened ToeHold Artisans Collaborative Ltd, it is slated
to be the first grassroots women-majority company in the country. Quite
clearly, they have lent a new meaning to the mantra of development-think
global, act local.
