The Warp of Labour and the Weft of Leisure in Abdul Bismillah’s Jhīnī Jhīnī Bīnī Cadariyā

Presenter:

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Abstract

The Muslim silk weavers of Varanasi, belonging to the julahā community, are well acknowledged for their extraordinary skill of silk weaving resulting in the highly valued Banarasi silk sarees. They are also known for their love of leisure, by some mockingly called ‘the love of idleness’ or even more spitefully ‘innate laziness’. The negative view of julahā’s attitude toward leisure stems from misunderstanding of its role in the very act of weaving the finest silk while they both are actually intricately intertwined, just as the warp and the weft of the cloth itself. Their very specific work-mode that has been developed and sustained throughout centuries puts a great emphasis on the proper balance between labour and leisure. Abdul Bismillah’s Hindi novel Jhīnī jhīnī bīnī cadariyā (1986) offers a very rich, detailed depiction of the Varanasi julahā community at the turn of the 1970s and 1980s. It provides a deep insight into the day-to-day work of Indian Muslim weavers as well as a complex image of their leisure-related practices. The ordinary weaver’s love of leisure conflicts with capitalist goals of modern economy. This in turn intensifies already existing inequalities and hinders the social development of a community. Referring to the Marx’s theory of class struggle, which is an essential feature in the JJBC narrative, with the ideas of recent Leisure Studies, this paper aims to explore the leisure scenario of julahās in the context of their struggle for freedom – economic, social and artistic. The issue of colonial stereotype of lazy julahā and its survival in post-colonial India will also be addressed.