The popular Muktsari jutti,which had lost its sheen and glory to Patialas Punjabi jutti,is now on a path to revival and empowerment. Muktsar,renamed as Sri Muktsar Sahib,is said to be the first place in the state where pure leather juttis were made. The craft then spread to other places in the state such as Patiala and Patti in Taran Taran district. The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has taken an initiative to create clusters of jutti makers and help them get bank loans and set up their own enterprises. Recently,Deputy Commissioner Paramjit Singh distributed cheques of Rs 25,000 each to some 200 craftsmen who had been grouped into 40 clusters. Manmohan Suri,District Development Manager,NABARD,says,Sometime last year,one of the craftsmen had come to us and told us that they were being paid very low wages by those who got them to make these juttis. A male worker got Rs 10 to Rs 12 for a pair while a woman who hand-embroidered every jutti was paid Rs 2 to Rs 5. We formed a team and inspected the areas where these juttis were being made. These craftsmen worked through the day,but were paid very little. Moreover,they worked as bonded labour for they were completely controlled by money lenders. These people were never paid on time,and when paid,the money was never what was promised. From here began a project. We began forming groups of five persons headed by an expert in this trade. This person was given a loan with any kind of security. Our only request to these artisans was that they should repay their loans on time which will help them secure further loans. Around 2,000 artisan families in Abohar,Fazilka,Malout,Muktsar,Lambi and Gidderbaha benefit from this scheme. Mool Chand,a retired principal who has joined his family business of making and selling juttis,explains,Muktsar is known for touri,a jutti made of pure,hard leather. My entire family is in this trade and I too joined it after I retired. My ancestors started making these juttis,which soon became popular because Muktsar is a holy city and people come here during fairs and melas. Mool Chand and his family are very proud of their trade. This is not the jutti that one can get in Patiala. That jutti is made of rexine or foam. Even the embroidery is done by machines. Here,everything is done by hand. The basic task of cutting one sole takes over two hours. Then our women embroider these juttis by hand, Mool Chand says. Veena Sethi,project in-charge,Regional Centre of Entrepreneurship Development,who has been working with 700 artisans at Malout for the last three years,says the benefits of the scheme are visible. I have visited and sat inside the home of each of my artisans and have seen how the kuccha,one-room houses have now become pucca houses. The project is the brain child of the Ministry of Micro,Medium and Small Enterprises,where training and marketing skills were imparted to these artisans. We trained these artisans and have taken them to places like Kulu,Delhi and Mumbai for exhibitions,where they could sell their craft. We also imported machines which cut 20 soles at one go. We also help them locate new designs on the Internet so that their product is in tune with changing times, says Paramjit Singh,a principal consultant in this project. The ministry is now setting up a showroom for Muktsari juttis in Chandigarhs upmarket Sector 17. These juttis are also being sold at Phagwara,Bathinda,Delhi and Mumbai.
