Of weaves and woes

Madanpura in Banaras was once the hub of handloom industry, but now what greets you is the mechanical roar of power looms. The weavers are now gone ,the ones left are no longer willing to pass on the art to their sons

I felt so helpless when I heard their tales of suffering, most of them were a cause of lack of action on the part of the governmentt.
But, I also saw the love of art in people like Md.Suwale and Kabir Sahab,who were willing to die rather than leave a profession ,which has been passed upon them by their ancestors.Their izzat was so dear that inspite of being ill they continued working on handlooms( which is backbreaking work).
The weavers have been ruined systematically by the governmental policies,funds granted by the Central Government are embezzled by state government officials,dubious schemes are floated to give false hopes to the weavers,they have to bribe banks for loans,electricity supply is s irregular and electricity charges are too high for them to keep even one bulb in their workshops.

I don't know why I keep thinking about them,the thing is I have never met people who are willing to trade their life for art.The weavers of Varanasi are no less than artists ,in the true sense of the term. Unless you talk to them, like I did,  you'll never know what 'Art' means to a human being,specially that art which he has learnt from the day he could sit on his father's lap.
However, the weavers of Madanpura are coming to terms with the harsh realities of life. The cobwebbed weavers workshops of Madanpura and the  sound of powerlooms nearby speak volumes of a dying art which is regarded as an inseparable part of the historic.
PS: I am too disturbed, so this is not one of my happy go lucky posts. The testaments of Md Suwale still haunt me.