Priti Rao - Weaving a Success Story

[Ms.Priti Rao while interacting with the weavers at Bandhpali]

One cool morning of January 2009  the Asst. Director of Textiles, Bargarh called me to ask, if I could forward a little help. I said, "Kiran is on call 24X7. Yes please do let me know in case someone need B +ve blood group or if I need to forward a birth-day gift to a relative of yours". He smiled at my explanations. He said, ji ji nothing like that, but a honourable job. He told, "a Mam came down from UK, she wants to carry research work on Sambalpuri sari-weavers at Bandhpali. I think you are the only English speaking gentle-man at Barpali who could guide her". My mind started wandering, it would be a white-skinned elegant English girl from Europe. But he further clarified she is a Konkani girl  from Mumbai.

No matter who ever you are, whatever your social status, but when you visit an unknown place, you are subject to fear and resentment. So I able to judge, what this girl would have in mind. Orissa a state though having the world heritage of ancient temples, a state having forests, waterfalls and with the rich mines and minerals. But of late, my state has become notorious for giving shelter to the deadly mosquitoes which breeds malaria parasites. These mosquitoes are taking more lives than the often media hyped Maoists.

Next morning I got up early to have a bath, chosen the best outfit from my cupboard, finished the prayer rituals in the most shortest possible way. By 9.30 or 10.00 AM a Tata Indica car parked on the entrance of our house. And there she got down. A young woman may be in her early thirties. She was absolute fair skin, with denim trouser and a cotton shirt, a thin white-spects, yes as if a England ki gori-mam. The only evidence of her being Indian was her black hair on head.

Fearlessly she walked in with a friendly smile, " Hello I am Priti Rao. I am doing PhD at School of Design, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. I need to do my thesis on the Sambalpuri saree weavers at Bandhpali. Could you find me a suitable accommodation at Barpali".

Here I able to show the best image of self by calling a property dealer to impress Priti Mam. He took us on ride to show three vacant houses. The first one was a single-room having door to enter but no windows. She said I need to have a well ventilated place to live-in. The second house had two rooms but got Barpali latrine, the water-shield cemented toilet. Once again a big NO. The third house found to be somewhat OK. But here the landlord asked, who will be responsible if something goes wrong with this alien.

With this my "Mission Priti" came to a stand-still. I said to her, you might have British Pounds to pay, but we don’t have the resources to serve you. She said, I shall be back in India when the summer ends, hope by than you will work out something. I told her in Hindi filmy andaz, "mei hoon na".

Days went by, on calling her cell-phone it didn’t responded. I reached to the conclusion she would be back to UK. In the mean while my Dad gifted me a laptop. I got an email ID created and started learning to send mails. After a couple of days I got back her reply. At that moment  I felt being connected to the world. She wrote, “I shall be reaching India soon, have you found any suitable house”. Once again the hunt for a house started. Instead of carrying my LIC sales-kit, I started riding my bi-cycle with the burden of searching  for  an accommodation. Fortunately, I able to find a house at Bandhpali village itself, with all the modern amenities. Now Miss Priti  asked me to send the photos of the house and its interiors. I said, on this remote part of the earth, there is not a single photo-studio. She said, “ How  crazy , cant you take snaps from your cell-phone”. I said, but mam I am using a first generation mobile phone with no in-built camera. She told, "OK Kiran now the next big job is to find four boys who could assist me on my research work. I shall happily pay them, whatever minimum stipend possible".

Life is like this. No sooner one of our need is fulfilled, we set the new targets to achieve. Haphazardly, I started enquiring people, are you jobless, would you like to work, do you want a job. Everything failed. I published the bill-boards at the local computer training institutes, LCC and NICE. Unbelievable, by evening one phone call came in my cell, “is this Kiran Sir, I am Sanjib calling from Remta, wants to apply for the said job". This single call pumped my adrenaline. Second day two more candidates approached. I asked the candidates to prepare resumes. Virtually I had to dictate the spelling of a resume, as B-I-O-D-A-T-A.

In a short-span of three days I became a talk-of-the-town, among the college going youngsters. Everyday two or three students came to forward the resumes. I started feeling as if I have floated a company of my own and going to engage a few employees. I gathered as many as 12 resumes.

Finally the count-down began. I received Ms.Priti Rao at Barpali Railway Station on 28th August 2009 morning. I escorted her to the new found abode of her at Bandhapali village. She was surprised to find an accommodation more than expected at a backward village like Bandhpali. It’s a rural place with mud roads, where the power supply is regulated entire year and with no drainage system.

SMS from Priti Rao, 28/08/09, 21:59 hrs

" HI KIRAN.  THANKS FOR EVERYTHING. TODAY, I FEEL VERY HAPPY AND POSITIVE       ABOUT MY RESEARCH. GOD BLESS YOU. GOOD NIGHT."

On 29th August morning by 11.00 AM the interviews started in my office complex. In a whole there were 14 candidates who appeared for the interviews. Someone was nervous, the other speechless, the third one was restless. Entire life I was on the hot-seat, to appear for a job interview, while I was working at Delhi. But for the first time I am on the host-seat, comforting the candidates who were nervous. What I discovered this day is, finding an able candidate is much more difficult than finding a suitable job. Finally mam recruited a few to engage on the job of collecting the data of the saree weavers at Bandhpali.

On the fourth day Priti mam came to our home to convey thanks. She politely handed over a gift pack to me, which I accepted with a little hesitation. I said, if I accept any gift than my sincerity will be discounted. When I opened the pack , there was a sleek Samsung cell-phone with the features of still and video camera.

Lo my new cell-phone is ringing again. My lord, it is Priti mam, let me attend her,

 " Yes Mam, how could I serve you ................."

And here is the outcome of the efforts of  Ms.Priti Rao  in a video form :   

      http://vimeo.com/27129270

kiranbima@gmail.com

E.KIRAN MOHAN

C\o. Dr.E.R.Rao (M.D.)

Tehsil Chowk,

At\PO - BARPALI - 768 029

Dist. Bargarh, Orissa, India

Cell # 91-99-371-20565