Chennai: The Corona lockdown has robbed the Rajasthani craftsmen of their livelihood and is forcing them to anxiously look for some help to feed their hungry stomachs. The craftsmen, engaged in clay work, are struggling to make ends meet due to lockdown.
Rajasthani men and women, in their traditional attire, engaged in making figurines of deities as well as a variety of popular dolls, under roadside tents near the cattle shandy in Tiruvottiyur is a familiar sight. They sell them at many places across the city, adding colour to the cosmopolitan and inclusive culture of the city.
The closure of their business during the nationwide lockdown has affected the lives of many people engaged in this work. As many as 25 families of the Rajasthani craftsmen are facing an uncertain future because they are unable to open their stores due to the lockdown.
Confined to their roadside hutments, they stare at a bleak future. Worse, the families have nothing to hold on save the meager provisions that are depleting fast with every passing day.
“We make figurines and dolls with clay and eke out a living by selling them. We do not make a lot of money. We have survived with that little income and now, even that has vanished. Since public transport has come to a standstill, we can’t go to other places to sell the dolls. Our plight is very pathetic. Concerned about our pitiable condition, a few passersby offer us some food occasionally. We anxiously await some help from the government. We appeal to the state government to save us at this hour of distress,” says Dhariya, a craftswoman, giving finishing touches to a doll.
However, the crisis has not made them give up the trade and they still pin hope on the revival of business once normalcy returns.
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