Lucknow’s famous embroidery craft Chikan is now being used for a rehabilitation programme for women victims of the Godhra riot. Tarannum Manjul reports

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Chikan, a name synonymous with the finest embroidery of Uttar Pradesh, has not only become a symbol of sheer craftsmanship over the years, but also a symbol of empowerment. In recent years, chikan has become a symbol of courage and a ray of hope for the women victims of communal riots of Godhra.
At first look, these pieces of chikan embroidery may look simple and ordinary, just like several others that are made in Lucknow and surrounding areas everyday. But, each of these pieces of exquisite garments like the suits and the sarees have a story to tell. Woven in them are the stories of trauma and sufferings of the women victims of Godhra violence, who are now trying to embroider new dreams through these chikan garments. The bright and vibrant colours of these pieces are a symbol of hope and rehabilitation, for thousands of these women, who have suffered one of the worst ordeals of their lives.

An initiative of Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA) Lucknow, the chikan garments embroidered by the Godhra women are finding sellers not only in Lucknow, but even abroad. “They are bright in colour and hence, are a big hit with international crowd,” says Runa Banerji, the chief operation officer (CEO) of SEWA, which has been instrumental in making self employment for women a household name in the rural areas of Uttar Pradesh using chikan as a tool.

After the Godhra violence, several NGOs from different parts of the country went to see and meet the victims. They offered study reports and fact findings, but none could offer any rehabilitation programme, as most of the victims refused to take any money without doing any work.

Runa Banerji and Sehba Hussain of SEWA went to meet the victims and decided to make efforts in rehabilitating the women and make them bread earners for their families. The chikan embroidery training was a part of the rehabilitation activities by SEWA at Godhra, and during their training, the trainers realised that the embroidery not only helped the women in finding an income generating activity, but also helped in removing their fears and forget their past.

“We’ve had several cases where we saw women not only opening up, but also trying to cope with their past and make a new beginning. They all had been mentally and sexually exploited and it took us four months to make them talk to us,” remembers Banerji.

The trainers who were sent from Lucknow to Godhra have interesting stories to share. “There was a woman who had been raped by 14 men. Every time she saw white cloth (which is dominant in chikan embroidery), she used to start crying. When we asked the reason, she told us that she had been wearing white when the incident happened. We gave her colourful clothes to do chikan work and today, she is one of our best craftswoman in Godhra,” remembers Chanda, a trainer from SEWA who lived in Godhra for three months.
The fabrics given to the Godhra women ranged from mauve to green to blue and red, but after a year, the women have started using white cotton and georgette too.
Baby, a Hindu trainer had a tough time getting the trust of the victims, who were primarily Muslims. “They never even spoke to me. Even Runa-Di was threatened, with the maulanas telling her tum kya sochti ho ki bindi lagake aaogi aur hum tum par vishwaas kar lenge? (what do you think that you will come here wearing a bindi and we will trust you?). But we managed to convince the women that we were trying to bring them out of the trauma,” remembers Baby. Today, she is one of the favourite trainers in Halol district, adjoining Godhra.

More than a year has passed and today, some 300 women are a part of the chikan-making unit in districts of Godhra and Halol. They earn over Rs 3000 per month. “They do take more time than the Lucknow artisans as their hands are not deft in the fineness of chikankari, but their craftsmanship is truly delightful. And we give them more share of their profit to help them,” says Banerji, who has recently been nominated for the Nobel peace prize for her initiatives of communal peace and harmony.

Apart from retailing these garments in Lucknow, Banerji is even taking these garments to London, where she would be holding an exhibition. “We are planning to go to Gujarat again, as hundreds of women have to be rehabilitated after the floods have hit Gujarat,” says Banerji. And to fuse the Lakhnawi andaaz completely with the Gujarati moods, she is also planning to introduce patterns that can absorb both the earthiness of Gujarat’s Kutchi embroidery and the finesse of Lucknow’s chikan. “My design department is working at achieving this goal. By making both these styles fuse, we will not only make these garments different but would be able to find a whole new market, both in India and abroad, for them,” says a hopeful Banerji.