Khet Singh

Nirona, Kutch Gujrat

This is the story of Khet Singh (pictured). He is the youngest of four brothers and has studied through the 10th grade (completed high school). He and his family own farm land outside of Nirona, a larger village (population ~15,000) north of Bhuj, which provides for their livelihood. Currently there are 26 family members living in their house and the best I could break it down is as such:

4 - Khet Singh, his wife and 2 sons
10 - Devjibhai (older brother), his wife and children (6 girls)
2 - Khet Singh's Parents
1 - son of Khet Singh's brother's wife
3 - Khet Singh's eldest brother's children
2 - Goats
1 - Calf
3 - Other kids
26 Total

Talk about a full house. Many of the kids were staying at the house b/c they were still on summer vacation (most of them are pictured). Their house felt like a mini village with a barn for livestock, multiple separated rooms, and a water well all surrounding a tree in the center of the home. The home is fully powered, with running water (though it comes and goes) and they even have a small 13 inch TV. Their life is very very simple and peaceful.

Supplementing their agricultural income, Khet Singh is a 7th generation leather craftsman. His eldest brother's son is currently training in the art, making it an 8 generation family craft. And this was the purpose of my visit, of course.

Once again we commenced our relations with the best cup of coffee ever. Kutchhi coffee means - strong and just as sweet. It's served very hot in the equivalent of a third of an American coffee cup and is sipped from the saucer. And this was the beginning of my exposure to Kutchhi hospitality.

Before lunch, I was sat down on a mat and brought a pot of water and a plate to wash my hands in. Apparently this is a Kutchhi tradition way to treat a guest. Khet Singh took the plate away and then brought my food. On the first day for lunch I ate typical Gujarati food - potato shabzi, roti, daal, rice, sev (sweet), and lassi. The food was so incredibly spice that even Khet Singh did not eat it. I didn't have the guts to not eat the food, so I downed what was to be a stomach a few hours later. The cooking was exceptionally spicy b/c Khet Singh's 16-year old niece was learning to cook during her summer vacation. The next day though the food was amazing - the food was pretty much the same except instead of sev, we had sheero (sweet) and we also had home-made, fresh made makan (fresh butter). I've grown up hearing stories of Krishna Bhagwan - the makan chor (butter thief), stealing butter from pots and getting in trouble; And for the first time in my life I was actually eating makan. It was actually pretty good. The taste reminded me of yogurt, but the texture was much more firm. The makan was made from Khet Singh's herd of cows (the family also owns over 200 buffalo).

Once again being able to speak in Gujarati was a boon. Their actual language is Kutchhi, which in my opinion has very little resemblance to Gujarati b/c I couldn't understand a lick of it. I was disappointed actually that Khet Singh's mother (pictured) didn't speak Gujarati b/c I would have loved to converse with her. She was so elegant wearing traditional Kutchhi clothes: long cotton skirt, backless cotton top and large silver jewelry. Later on, I asked the family daughters if they would grow up and wear their traditional dress. The answer: most likely not.

I collected costing information on 15 products all in one day. In Kutch the dead zone is between 1-4, when you can't think about doing anything but hope that it gets cooler soon. So I used the time to chit chat with the family and take a nap. I thought it was interesting and humorous that Khet Singh wears anjan (eye liner). He said even his own family makes fun of him, but he swears that it is the reason that his eyes are so sharp considering how long he stays out in the fields.

It was a great pleasure for me to meet and interact with Khet Singh and his family. For one, their hospitality was amazing and genuine. But also they are the true reason I was motivated to work with World of Good and Asha – cultural art preservation. After 8 generations of leather craftsmanship, it really broke my heart to hear that Khet Singh was seriously considering leaving his craft. At one point in time, the family employed and up to 15 trainees at their workshop (which is located within their house). But now, the business is run by and employs only Khet Singh, his brother and his neighbor (though his nephew is also training over the summer). Raju Bhai, the neighbor, is quite a character – 25 year old bachelor, looking forward to getting married, always wearing a t-shirt unbuttoned practically to his belly button, wearing a chain around his neck and multiple bracelets on his hands. Raju Bhai, the only employee, is paid Rs. 200/day. Not bad you say. Well, actually it is considered low for Nirona considering that an individual can make Rs. 250/day for cutting sticks for fuel. That’s right. While the market minimum wage in Mandvi, which is some 65-75 km away from Nirona, is Rs. 60/day, the market wage rate in Nirona is Rs. 250. Granted stick gatherers will prolly work 12-13 hours a day to earn the 250, but I found the vast difference in the market wage rates to be astounding.

But considering the lack of employees, the minimum wage is not the reason Khet Singh is thinking about closing down shop. The biggest problem his is facing the huge jump in the cost of leather. Typically Khet Singh uses camel leather, which is already seasoned and finished, most likely from Rajasthan. Through my research, I was able to show him that on one of his products, he was not even recovering the materials cost, let alone paying his labor cost (or making a profit). The other issue that he is facing is the competition from products made from a cheaper synthetic (plastic) material called Raxin. The quality difference between the synthetic and genuine leather is obvious. Yet, apparently the Indian consumer does not recognize the quality difference and simply demands a cheaper product. So, Khet Singh is also making Raxin products. This made me realize that a large determinant of the sustainability of handmade products is whether the end consumer can differentiate and value and the quality between a handmade and machine made (Batik) and/or synthetic (leather) product. Lastly, another humorous point that KS brought up was that upon realizing that his products are leather, Hindu’s customers quickly drop the product and began reciting God’s name: “Hai Ram, Ram.” KS, a Hindu as well, said, “Don’t they realize that in every temple there is a dhol (drum) that is also made from leather?”

I began to realize the value that I could personally add through my experience with Khet Singh. The material I presented him about his own products gave him an understanding of how to price his products. It was amazing to me that I was able to uncover that he was not recovering even his materials cost on one of his products. Then considering his Rs. 200/day salary, most of his products were being produced at a loss. I’m not saying that KS is a liar, but I have no way to verify that indeed this is the salary he is paying, and so I presented the data assuming a Rs. 50/day wage rate (considered India's rural minimum wage). Even then many of his products were being produced at a loss.

I had a lot of free time on my last day with KS, so I passed the dead zone playing cards with the family children (pictured). We played Gulam Chor, a card game I haven’t played since my childhood in India. On our way back to the city we also stopped at Kala Raksha, another NGO established by an American, that nurtures traditional embroidery weaving amongst the Rabarri (nomads) tribes. Also, our wonderful Ric driver, Harish Bhai, made a stop for me at a peanut farm (pictures). I kept commenting on how the air outside of the city was very smelled very sweet. Harish Bhai told me that it was the peanuts.