At a time, when women in many villages across the country cannot step out of the house alone — particularly in the wee hours — a group of seven-eight sari-clad women march confidently parallel to the railway track towards erstwhile Sewapuri Gandhi Ashram’s Lijjat Papad unit — to knead the dough for papad-making — which was a defunct and dilapidated Khadi Institution before September 2016.
For, Mamata Devi (40), Munni Devi (42), and Phool Dei (40) from Newara village under Sakalpur post office, it is like making money during the morning walk. Mamata Devi says, “We reach Sewapuri Ashram daily latest by 2.30 am and in three hours we finish kneading the dough — for which hundreds of women start coming from 5.30 am onwards for collection of dough for rolling papads at their homes. For this three-hours’-job, each of us get on an average from Rs 250 to Rs 300 per day. This is like morning workout for us. Every day, we walk 4-5 kilometers, do the kneading exercise for three hours and earn up to Rs 300”. They all thanked PM Modi for providing job opportunities to them, which have changed their lives.”
Saraswati Devi of Sewapuri Village, echopes similar voice. “Being an uneducated village women, we never thought that we will ever get an opportunity in our life to earn Rs 300 per day that too sitting at our home. PM Modi has brought this change in our life through Khadi.”
The next round begins at 5.30 am, when around 230 women collect the dough in the Sewapuri Gandhi Ashram up to 8 am and roll them into papads at their homes during the day.
These women had been trained by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) and in three years’ time — they have become expert in papad-making. This simple, yet very effective method y has achieved tremendous success in the villages of Varanasi and Rs Gramo-preneurs’ across the nation have now started looking to learn how they can apply the Gandhian simplicity — where a woman can make papad weighing from 8 to 10 kilograms from the dough they collect daily in the morning and have started earning from Rs 300 to Rs 400 per day. The Lizzat papad , a supported unit of KVIC pays Rs 39 per kg for, rolling the papads.
Incidentally, the Sewapuri Ashram was set up on November 5, 1946 by a group of Gandhians — all hailing from a well-known Khadi institution of Gandhian era ‘Kshatriya Shri Gandhi Ashram’ — under the guidance of the Mahatma Gandhi, to promote Khadi and provide employment to spinners and weavers. It was then formally inaugurated by Dr Rajendra Prasad, the first President of India and Gandhiji stayed here for quite some time, when 600 people used to work in this center those days. Spread in 12 acres of area, Sewapuri Ashram was one of the best Khadi centers in the country once upon a time. But, due to financial crunch and lack of proper management, the center was closed in 1990 and since then this erstwhile glorious centre that played a crucial role in the promotion of Khadi, virtually turned into a testimony of negligence. In its 26-odd years’ of dilapidation, it turned into a jungle - with most of the structures biting the dust. The KVIC, which had been leaving no stone unturned for the revival of this centre of excellence of Gandhian philosophy of self-reliance and swadeshi, finally chose a day to formally re-inaugurate it. On 17th September 2016 — on the occasion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday — better known as Sewa Diwas — KVIC Chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena re-inaugurated it.
The KVIC had given a special grant of Rs 20 lakhs to this Khadi institutions for renovation and repair of dilapidated buildings and cleaning up the campus. KVIC roped in Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) to use its CSR funds to kick off Khadi activities. REC sanctioned Rs 5.50 crore for this project. Notably, it is the first ever utilization of CSR funds for Khadi activities. Now, as many as 200 Solar Charkhas, 80 Solar Looms, a modern stitching center and a salt-making unit are running at this Ashram. This Khadi Ashram has been providing jobs to around 700 people — mostly women — from nearby villages, after its revival.
Besides giving credit to the zeal and enthusiasm of these rural women — engaged in Papad-making industry, KVIC Chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena also appreciates the improving law and order scenario of Uttar Pradesh in the recent years. “For many decades, women in most parts of rural India have led a confined life. Even today, women in many villages across the country cannot step out of the house alone, and hence leading an independent life has been a far cry for them. Thanks to the CM Yogi Adityanath-led UP Government, women are coming to Ashram, even in midnight,” he said.