2010/07/06

- I was always thinking of my life, what will happen to me?!

-I was always thinking of my life, what will happen to me?!, says Rajendar Singh also called Raju that works at Bramapuri leprosy rehabilitation center.


Rajendar Singh in the weaving hall on Bramapuri rehbilitation center (Photo by Lilian).

He is 45 years old and when he was 17 he found out that he had leprosy that he probably had for a couple of years before got to know that he was affected.
Raju grew up in Benjwari and it was there when he played with other children he noticed that he got wounds that did not heal properly. Other leprosy patients at the hospital were he was treated told him and advised him to go to the rehabilitation center in Bramapuri. He thought that it was a good idea because he wanted to learn a profession and work. He needed a job that was not so physically that he could be able to work with even though he had leprosy.

- I was thinking to stay here and work for about two-three years but stayed because I could combine work with my rehabilitation, he says.

Pierre,a fr
ench man that been working in the administration for KKM for over 40 years, taught him English after the working hours. On that time we had no electricity and no TV or things like that so there was no other option than to study, he explains.


Raju sitting on the loom (Photo by Lilian).

Raju works as a workshop manager for Bramapuri rehabilitation center and meets the general director twice a month. That is needed, partly because the dyeing part takes place for several of K.K.M´s places here. Raju lives in the rehabilitation center and looks after that the water and electricity works in the colony, repairs things that is broken and also
do the administrative work in the colony. He has been working in the colony since 1984 and started to work as a weaver in the weaving hall but advanced to to other chores. Himself he sees that the opportunity to get other responsibilities in the society was increased because ha have nine years of schooling which is quite much compare to many of the others in the colony.

The colony consist of about 60 people, He says that the colony's have many uneducated people that have lived there for a long time so there is mostly elderly people there.
I think it is important to point out that the people ni the colony can often be uneducated in the sense of having not fulfilled their school education and do not have any university degree, but still they are very skilled in their work and know their occupation which is one important form of knowledge.

Rajus wife, that also have leprosy, works with stitching. Her dad that also had disease works in the rehabilitation center but a bit less now a days due to high age. The family also have two daughters, the oldest is living and studying at a boarding school in Dheradun and the youngest one attend to school in Rishikesh which is the closest town to the center. Raju tells me that hey have one month maternity leave and 15 days paternity leave but it can be prolonged if necessary. The mum can also work from her home for some time after delivery. Raju thinks that leprosy will be extinct in a near future and that the colony therefore maybe will not be needed in the future. The Indian government has given the leprosy rehabilitation center a license of the land for a period of 30 years that now has expired so the future is a little bit unclear.


Lilian makes the interview with Raju (Photo by Dondhup Dolma).

Raju has in his roll as administrative worker participated in a work-shop about fair trade that SOIR-IM arranged.

-Fair trade is about getting profit for the producer in many areas and also for the buyer to know that everything is good, he says when he gets the question what fair trade means.

-The work-shop was good because we got the opportunity to meet other organizations and groups and to develop contacts and know how they work. It is also good to see a face for the other organizations that work with this, he says.


The ones that visit the rehabilitation center buys the products when they see they capacity of the workers even though the often reached a high age and have physically disabilities Raju is explaining.


- If people compare to other products on the market and do not see the people behind the products then it is much harder for us, he explains.

Text by Lilian Sahlin

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