Now, Madal and Damaha are not in demand like they used to be. The goods they make are sitting in abeyance. It is becoming difficult for them to make a living doing this work, which their family has been doing for generations.
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Resham Badi of Baduwal Tol, Dodhara Chandani Municipality-3, used to have a hard time making madal and damaha. He would go from village to village and sell them. He would also come to his house to buy them. From that, his family's expenses were well-managed.
But now there is no demand for madal and damaha like in the past. The goods he made are stagnant. It is becoming difficult for him to make a living by doing this work that his family has been doing for generations.
'This is our ancestral profession, but now we cannot make a living from it,' said the plaintiff, 'Our grandfathers raised their families from this, it started to be difficult during our time.' The demand for madal used to be very high during Holi and Tihar. For that, Resham's entire family would be busy making madal for two to three months. But now there is no such demand.
Resham has a family of nine. His sons have migrated to India in search of work. Both his wife Sitadevi and Resham are still busy making madal and damaha. From collecting the leather and other materials required for that, both of them make madal and damaha together at home.
'Now I have started sewing shoes and slippers,' Resham said, 'That is how I have met the expenses of salt and oil.' There is only a house in the name of land. From food grains to salt, oil, vegetables, everything has to be bought. That is why his sons have left their ancestral profession and migrated to India.
'Now it is not possible to make a living from our ancestral profession,' said Birbhan Badi of Baduwal Tole, Dodhara Chandani Municipality-3, 'We have no skills to do other work, we do not even have land to farm, it has become difficult to make a living.'
Four families of Badi live in Dodhara Chandani. The youth of all four families have all migrated to India in search of work. They left school at a young age and migrated to India. 'There is no way to study, there is a problem with food and clothing,' said Birbhan, 'They study up to two or four classes, then they go to India in search of work.'
According to Birbhan, some have gone to India with their families. They return only during festivals. Resham Badi says that the Badi family now needs to be supported with various types of skill-based training and income-generating activities.
