Stitching lives in time of anti-globalisation

New Delhi, Nov 10: In the din of anti-globalisation cries, a few Gujarati women at the India Social Forum are showing what resilience and enterprise can do to rehabilitate lives, haunted by painful memories of riots and loss.

One of the first stalls to open at the sprawling ISF venue after the social jamboree opened last evening was that of the Ahmedabad-based 'Himmat' women's collective formed by survivors of the 2002 Gujarat carnage.

Stocked on the shelves of the stall are colourful wrap-arounds and trendy tops and kurtis, all handspun khadi and cotton, things that are helping the women who lost their families' sole breadearners stitch their lives back into shape.

'Himmat' (which means 'courage') was formed a year after the riots by Shaheen, a survivor of the Naroda-Patiya massacre in Vatwa, on the outskirts of Ahmedabad. It slowly grew with more single women joining the economic enterprise, which gave them just enough money to feed and send their children to school.

''I do stitching work at 'Himmat' so that I can earn and send my daughter to school,'' says Mehboobi, whose husband was brutally killed in the riots that left a number of widows in Gujarat.

Along with Mehboobi at the 'Himmat' stall are Sulekha who too lost her husband, Tahira who lost her father and Rabiya whose sister was murdered by a marauding mob. Tahira and Rabiya have also brought along some canvasses to show visitors at the ISF images of their poignant stories and perceptible hopes.

''Life was not easy for them in the rehabilitation camp in Vatwa.

There was no water and no electricity. Also no money, they had to struggle to feed their families,'' says Monica Wahi, a 'Himmat' volunteer.

It was the World Social Forum 2004 in Mumbai that gave the 'Himmat' women the window to express their enteprising skills. ''It was very good in Bombay. All our stocks were sold,'' says Mehboobi, grinning from ear to ear.

The confidence of the women have soared with each step they take into the outside world mingling with people. But they are more happy if you leave their days of the riots to themselves. ''Please don't ask them any questions about the riots,'' reminds Wahi.

For visitors to the 'Himmat' stall, getting themselves new clothes also meant supporting the women. ''I feel they have gone through troubled times. If they get help when I buy something from them, it's really good,'' says Mohini Jaisinghani, who works with an event management company in the capital.

As the anti-globalisation speeches of Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Medha Patkar and communist Subhashini Ali set the wide and well-lit ISF stage on fire nearby, the Gujarat women knew only too well how the support of Jaisinghani and others could transform their lives.

And if you are thinking of bargaining your way into the stall, think again, because no discounts are offered. Says Sri Ram of 'Himmat', ''Trust me, even if you pay the whole price, you are only going to be very happy to have supported these women.''

UNI