Machine embroidery, which provided livelihood for many skilled workers in the old city, is now completely wiped out due to the advent of computerised machines . Now there are no takers for machine embroidery as computerised machines churn out intricate patterns faster and cheaper.
Md. Moinuddin, a resident of old city, was one of those early birds who took up to the machine embroidery business. He also trained about 20 youngsters and employed about eight of them in his workshop.
As the cost of the machine was the investment needed, about Rs. 7,000, many residents of Aman Nagar, Misri Gunj, Nashaman Nagar, Fateh Darwaza, and Lad Bazaar, in the old city, took to machine embroidery as a means of self employment, he said.
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But five years back, the computerised embroidery machines were introduced and the demand for machine embroidery started declining. With falling revenues, people like Mr. Moinuddin were forced to shut their shops and sell the machines. Once an employer, Mr. Moinuddin now is working as a salesman at a cloth shop in Ameerpet drawing a paltry Rs. 900 per week, as compared to about Rs. 3,000 per week earlier.
He said that practically every one in the vicinity was dependent on the machine embroidery work, and now they are forced to choose other professions.
Some became auto drivers and some even casual labourers, he said. Dependence on the private financiers for day-to-day expenses has become a common practice, and in the resulting despondency some even committed suicide, he laments. The situation was same for Md. Muzeeb. From a position of employing 10 people, he is now forced to search for a livelihood.
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Sd. Mohazzib has a different tale to tell. Mr. Mohazzib who joined as a student of Mr. Moinuddin six years back, was making Rs. 500 per week. After the work is dried-up, he now is working as a ladies tailor in Chikkadpally drawing a decent monthly pay. He says that the situation started deteriorating from the time he took up machine embroidery work. Mr. Mohazzib says that women in the old city are the worst affected with this loss of embroidery business. As most women don't prefer to go out they used to help in the family expenditure by helping their men. Now they are rendered unproductive.