Bareilly.
Famous for zari work. Hand embroidery. Gold and silver thread.
That's what you know.
I read bareilly news today – the real news. The news from the looms, the hands, the eyes of its workers.
Here are 4 wounds.
The city of zari work is bleeding. And your clothes are the bandage.
Wound 1: The Zari Worker Who Earns ₹150 a Day – Your Saree Costs ₹10,000
Bareilly is famous for zari work. Workers sit 14 hours a day. Bent over looms. Needles in hand.
They earn ₹150 a day. The saree they embroider sells for ₹10,000.
The headline: "Bareilly zari exports up 10%."
The truth: The exporter gets rich. The worker gets back pain.
What I saw: I visited a worker's home. A room. A loom. A family. The father embroidered. The mother cooked. The children played on the floor.
He said: "Mere baap ne yeh kaam kiya. Main kar raha hoon. Bacche nahi karenge."
Why this matters: Because the art is dying. The workers are leaving. Your saree is their suffering.
What you should do: Buy directly from weavers. Not from middlemen. Ask who made your clothes.
Wound 2: The Hands That Bleed – No Gloves, No Safety
Zari work requires fine needles. Gold and silver thread. The workers' hands are raw. Cracked. Bleeding.
No gloves. No safety. No insurance.
The headline: "Zari workers demand better conditions."
The truth: They have been demanding for 20 years. Nothing changes.
What I saw: I held a worker's hand. Fingers bent. Needle marks. Calluses.
He said: "Khoon aata hai. Pata nahi chalta. Kaam karna hai."
Why this matters: Because your beautiful embroidery is made by bleeding hands.
What you should do: Pay a fair price. Don't bargain with weavers. Their blood is in the thread.
Wound 3: The Hospital That Has No Eye Doctor – Workers Are Going Blind
Zari workers stare at fine thread for 14 hours a day. Their eyes are failing. Cataracts. Glaucoma. Blindness.
Bareilly's government hospital has no eye doctor. No eye clinic.
The headline: "Eye care facility requested."
The truth: Requested for 10 years. Not provided.
What I saw: I met a 50-year-old worker. He couldn't see the needle anymore. He was using a magnifying glass.
He said: "Meri aankhein ja rahi hain. Kaam nahi kar paunga. Phir kya hoga?"
Why this matters: Because a worker who goes blind loses everything.
What you should do: Donate to eye care camps in Bareilly. One surgery can save a worker's livelihood.
Wound 4: The Young Man Who Refused to Embroider – He Started a School
Young people are leaving Bareilly. No future in zari. No respect. No money.
One young man refused to follow his father's loom. He started a small school for weavers' children.
The headline: "Youth opens school for workers' children."
The truth: He teaches them math, science, and computers. So they never have to embroider.
What I saw: I sat in his class. Children were learning English. The alphabet. Words. Sentences.
He said: "Mere baap ne zari kiya. Main school khol raha hoon. Inke haath nahi katenge."
Why this matters: Because he is the city's last hope.
What you should do: Sponsor a child's education. ₹5,000 can send a weaver's child to school for a year.
Bareilly Is Bleeding
Bareilly was the city of zari work.
Now the workers earn ₹150.
Their hands bleed.
Their eyes fail.
And one young man is teaching their children.
The city of zari work is bleeding.
Your clothes are the bandage.
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