People Who Carry the Sky

Jharkhand has been facing issues related to migration for decades. Nothing changes on the ground

- Md Asghar Khan

LAST year, on August 27, Masiyatu Tola-a remote hamlet nestling in the lap of the mountains in Kuro block of Lohardaga in Jharkhandwas all decked up. A tent was erected at the Akhra (tribal place of worship) in front of Hari's house to accommodate more than a 1,000 people. Hari, his family of 15, and other villagers were excited since morning. It was the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi, through his Mann Ki Baat, was going to address the tribal and the scheduled-caste residents of Masiyatu Tola-famous for its bamboo artisans.

The PM praised the artisans, assured them a better market for their craftsmanship and spoke of making them aatmanirbhar (self-reliant). The fortune of these artisans and the hamlet with 70 houses should have changed after that, but it didn't. A year later, Masiyatu Tola is still largely dependent on outward migration. Take for instance Hari, 55. Ten members from his family-the youngest is 17 and the eldest is 45-work at brick kilns in Uttar Pradesh for seven months in a year. They returned from a kiln just three months ago.

Hari's daughter Anita, 19, recalls the promise PM Modi had made to uplift them economically by providing them with a good market and remunerative prices for their bamboo products, "So far, we haven't got anything. We don't even get the right price for our bamboo products. We don't earn enough from our craft to run the household around the year. Nor can we rely on agriculture. There has been a dry spell for two years and the prospects of rain this time around don't seem very bright."