Earning a livelihood by Sewing

Mahatma Gandhi wrote the story of Indian independence through the introduction of Charkha loom.  The theory stands relevant today when India is working its way towards becoming “Atmanirbhar.”  National Sewing machine day is paving the way for specially-abled in tough times of COVID-19 and is showing them a way to contribute towards the idea of becoming Atmanirbhar.

As the global COVID-19 pandemic has hit, many backline workers, men, and women started sewing face masks for children and the needy. During such tough times, 5 differently-abled volunteers of NGO Narayan SevaSansthan’sstitched more than 40,000 face masks and 525 PPE kits to serve the needy, railway employees, police, underprivileged people and daily wage earners.

A 28-year-old differently-abled man, Devendhar Lodhi from Sagar, Madhya Pradesh is also contributing to the campaign by sewing masks, while at the same time, getting trained at the Narayan Sewing Center in Udaipur. Devendhar says that today, we feel that we are not the only contributing to society, but we are also able to make ourselves more skills that will help us in earning a better livelihood.

Another 27-year-old differently-abled man, VikasGargfrom Delhi, feels that there is a stigma and general perception in the society that sewing is essentially a woman’s job and men should not get indulged in it. But thankfully, the times have changed and together, men and women are both celebrating National Sewing Machine Day and contributing to society. VikasGargis also inspired by the Bollywood movie, Sui Dhaaga, which shows how a couple of sewing business providing more employment opportunities in the society started.

Prashant Agarwal, President, Narayan Seva Sansthan shared an experience from his childhood, “When I was a child, we used to have our favorite tailor who stitched our school uniforms, festival and weddings attires, even when there was no electricity available. The tailor worked tirelessly all day with a broad smile on his face.It is high time that we give them the respect they rightfully deserve and extend our gratitude. According to the data available at Invest India, the Textiles and apparel industry has grown up to $3.1 bn through FDI during 2018-19. Also, there are around 45 million people employed at present, and the number is expected to grow to 55 million, by the end of 2020.”

As per another initiative of NSS, World of Humanity Center will be operational in 3 years’ time, the center will provide skill training around Art & Craft, Sewing, Mobile Repairing and free basic education to make people employable.

On the National Sewing Machine Day, it would be interesting to note that, in the nineties, newly wedded women used to get sewing machines on their wedding to sew their own clothes and become Atmanirbhar, from the comfort of their homes. Gradually, time changed and machines went from women’s hands to men’s hands. Now, both contributing to society by offering their services during the lockdown.

PRESS RELEASE

5 दिव्यांगों की एक टीम ने 40000 से अधिक फेस मास्क और 525 पीपीई किट बनाई