Q :  Can you describe the work you are doing here?

A  :  I do reeling –I produce silk thread and sell it in Bangalore.  I’ve been going to the market every day, from 1975. 

Q:  How did you learn this work?

A  :  This was a business in the village from my father’s time.  I learned from him and then opened my own business. 

Q :  What is the most difficult part of the job?

A  :  Extracting silk threads from the hot water is the difficult part of this business.  Earlier we used to make profits, but now we do not.  Laborers are scarce.  They are going to Bangalore and selling vegetables or driving vehicles.  80% of this work has washed away and is happening outside of our region, in countries like China, Japan, Vietnam and South Africa.  20% is going on, but there is no guarantee for this 20% too – it will slowly fade away.  This work will no longer be here 10 years from now.  We are in difficult times.

Q :  What do villagers do in the evening?

A  :  They sleep early by 7 or 7:30pm.  There are people who watch TV, some have computers at home.

Q :  How many children do you have?  Will they do this work?

A  :  I have five children.  All of them are educated and married.  I do not want them to get into this business.  This job is not like it was before.  Earlier, this work was considered to be higher than gold trading!  We were so happy to sell these silk threads to people before.

Q :  What is different now?

A  :  In earlier times, for a wedding, people used to buy 20-30 silk sarees.  But now, they don’t buy so much.  The trend has changed with the the evolution of other clothing like jeans, salwars and chudidhars.  Times are difficult.  This work is dying slowly and is at the end of it’s journey.