HRD Climate in Crochet Lace Park

HRD Climate in Crochet Lace Park  

Written  by Dr. Gandham Sri Rama Krishna 

 “HRD  Climate in Crochet Lace Park”  lesson published in the edited book, 2013. “Business Management Trends” edited by  Dr. B.Amarnath, Dr.P.S. Pragathi, Published by Paramount Publishing House, New Delhi. ISBN: 978-93-82163-08-4.                                                                                                    

Abstract

The crochet lace cluster at Narsapur is an emerging cluster with good export potential employing more than 2 lakh women artisans. Lace Park was established as a co-operative/corporate set-up with public/private participation by roping in entrepreneurs interested to participate in this activity. While doing this, they are drawing strength from the values that form the core of cooperative philosophy: those human beings, workings together with mutual trust and respect, can improve their own lives, their villages and their nation. The foreign exchange generated by the sector is about  40 crores  per annum. The Lace Park would give the professionals elbowroom to maneuver within the guiding principles and policies, so that the survival and growth of the cooperative institution is ensured. The future of millions of marginalized artisans would depends upon it and therefore it would be important that the institution survive and prosper, because so must their lace workers. This organization brings the desperate, scattered women groups into self-help groups under one umbrella, brings in experts from outside for educating and training these groups, allows experiments in improving the designs and skills and makes the groups self-sufficient to market their own produce and decide their own future. HRD is an essential process for organizational survival and growth. The HRD climate deals with the important given to human resources development in general by the top management and line managers. Lace Park main mission is to increase the utilization value of lace artisans by improving their knowledge, skills, creative abilities and talents by conducting training programmes, workshops, exhibitions, fairs and conferences, etc. The Lace Park provides training to the local women after which they return to their own home and continue knitting. The trained women now are extremely quality conscious and so produce high quality articles.

Introduction

            West Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh the centre place for the handicrafts crochet lace and especially Narsapur is the heart of this lace craft.  Lace entered into the lives of the local poor women as a means of livelihood and to mitigate their financial problems to some extent and to keep them away from the daily grind of the bondage of life.  Lace making came as  hobby but later on became a craft and now it is a profession. Almost every house hold in the rural areas at least one pair of hands are always busy knitting and knotting simple cotton thread into beautiful designs. Lace making became a part and parcel of the cultural life of the rural women folk.  

            The foreign exchange generated by the sector is about  40 crores  per annum. The Crochet Lace cluster at Narsapur is an emerging cluster with good export potential employing more than 2 lakh women artisans. Out of total production 80 percent of production value is being exported, there is good potential to expand its market both overseas and in domestic markets. With a mission to develop this cluster and help the women artisans, Development Commissionarate, Small Scale Industries (DC-SSI), Ministry of SSI, Govt. of India has assigned the cluster to National Resource Center for Cluster Development (NRCCD) to develop this cluster in a holistic manner. NRCCD helped units in forming a marketing consortium called Narsapur Crochet Lace Consortium comprising of the lace exporters, SSI units, NGO, and SHG. Lace Park (DRDA) with an objective of enhancing the exports and improve the domestic sales. Any order placed on the consortium will be shared among the members of the consortium and utmost care will be taken in executing the order to the best of quality and within the time schedule under the active guidance and support of NRCCD. The orders placed on the consortium are going to help 2 lakh women artisans in supporting their family and in the process elevate them above poverty line.

Lace Park was established as a co-operative/corporate set-up with public/private participation by roping in entrepreneurs interested to participate in this activity. While doing this, they are drawing strength from the values that form the core of cooperative philosophy: those human beings, workings together with mutual trust and respect, can improve their own lives, their villages and their nation. It is expected that through this association of enterprises and the cooperatives, the development that had been by and large bypassed-would see hope in life through increased incomes and an enriched cultural life.

The crochet lace self help groups at village level shall be converted to village level co-operative societies. All these village cooperative society would be pooled together into a federal and an apex society at the district level with head quarters at Narasapur housed in the lace park. The activity would be organized such that the profits of the apex body would be passed down to the grass root level lace workers in addition to the wages to their work. Lace Park would liaise and procure orders from all reputed domestic/international organizations and distribute lace orders to the village level lace workers through local co-operative societies. The village cooperatives on their concept, benefits of the decentralized and centralized structures both in production and marketing are availed off. Further the profits through centralized marketing will also be passed on to the root level lace workers.

One of the federation's initiatives would be to move up the value chain. The member cooperative would add value by improving upon the product that the market demands. The federation would add value by marketing these products and by ensuring they reach the retailer who is in direct contact with the customers. Thus, they would all be players in what is called the 'value chain'. Today's pressing need is to reach as close to the customer as possible. To this end, these operations would be extended right up to the consumers' doorsteps. Happily, this would be in total accordance with Lace Park guiding philosophy - eliminate intermediaries between the artisans and the consumer.

On the marketing front, the Lace Park would remain customer-driven and responsive to the changes in business environment. The human resources would be multi-skilled and adopt at multi-tasking. Their all round efficiencies need to be reflected in two areas: first, the cost of operation has to be optimized: second, every member of the federation has to gear oneself to Lace Park ultimate aim - customer delight. 

The Lace Park would give the professionals elbowroom to maneuver within the guiding principles and policies, so that the survival and growth of the cooperative institution is ensured. This institution would champion a good and just cause. The future of millions of marginalized artisans would depends upon it and therefore it would be important that the institution survive and prosper, because so must their lace workers. The future of India as a good, wise and just nation depends on such initiatives.

Origin of Crochet Lace Industry in Narsapur Area

Introduced in the middle of the 19th Century to provide employment to the poverty-striken women of the area, lace work was, to start with, sent to friends and relatives abroad as gifts which were highly appreciated.  Starting with a mere dozen designs, the local skills were used to evolve as many as 300 designs over the years which speaks of the high artistic sense of the artisans.  The raw materials and implements required for this industry are simple, consisting of only a hooked needle and cotton thread.  The thread used is twisted mercerized cotton yarn made out of superior grade cotton.  The craft is carried on by thousands of women working part-time at their homes in Narsapur and Palakol areas of West Godavari District and Razole Taluka of East Godavri District.

Narsapur, a small town in West Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh the West bank of the Godavari River, where the river flows into the Bay of Bengal. Narasapur is about 500 Km away from the state capital Hyderabad and is well connected by Road and Train. The place is beautifully surrounded by lush green paddy fields, canals flowing with full of river Godavari waters and its vicinity forms the tail end delta area and has been famous for crochet lace making for more than 100 years. Most of the rural and urban women belong to poor communities have opted crochet lace knitting as supplementary income generating source. It has been observed that one custom is prevailing in some communities that are women are not going out for any work in spite of their poor economical conditions. Hence, women belong to those communities have opted lace knitting as supplementary income generating source, while not leaving the home.

Narsapur is a remote place in West Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh. It is famous for the crochet lace products. The cluster is having around 50 exporters who are exporting to various countries. The cluster is having around 2 lakh women artisans doing the lace work. The cluster is located in and around Narsapur, in various villages like Seetharamapuram, Palakol, Venkatrayapalem, Antarvedi, Mogaltur, etc. The cluster is specialized in doing the lace works like dollies, furnishings, garments, tablemats, etc.

The cluster is 168-year-old. It all started by a Scottish lady by name McCrea who came here on missionaries of Charity work in the year 1844 and taught the house wife’s the art of lace work by needles and since that time it spread in the district and women took up the activity as a source income. Most of the women do the lacing in there respective houses. Traditionally the families are doing it since generations. In some places women gather at a common place in the village and do it together.

Role of  the ‘Alankriti’ Lace Park

            The State Government  with an objective of overall development of Andhra Pradesh economy is focusing on the development of labour-intensive and export oriented industry for generating both sustainable employment and valuable foreign exchange. Creating a brand name ‘Alankriti’ and establishment of lace park in a cooperative setup with a corporate framework and outlook at Narsapur to give a strong image to lace business. Establishment of ‘Alankriti’ Lace Park at Narsapur is the first step in this direction in the year 2004 by Sri Sanjaya Jaju. IAS, District Collector. This Lace Park has been conducting  training  programmes for women and  giving encouragement for women workers.         

This organization brings the desperate, scattered women groups into self-help groups under one umbrella, brings in experts from outside for educating and training these groups, allows experiments in improving the designs and skills and makes the groups self-sufficient to market their own produce and decide their own future. The Lace Park vision is to have uncompromising attitude on quality, professionalism that sparks discipline, hard work and adherence to schedule, something that was not known earlier in this sector.  

           "First of its kind in India in providing highest state of art of services to the rural artisans at their door step in improving their age old artistic skills and management skills. Excellent Research & Development wing with dedicated crafts persons of national fame. Established for the economic development of rural women to achieve their empowerment in a realistic view"

Role of Women in Lace Park

One result oriented, dynamic officer from any government department from out side has been appointed to implement the project that is under the direct control of the Collector West Godavari District and at the overall control of the committee.   Employment opportunities can be generated to thousands of rural women to ameliorate their economic conditions. The establishment of Lace Park at Narsapur should not be by chance but by choice. It is recognition to the sweat of rural women who have been exploited by middlemen for decades together and it should remain as a symbol for women empowerment in a true spirit. Let the thresholds of freedom be opened to rural women artisans. Let half of the lace universe be liberated from exploitation. Let thousands of flowers bloom. Let the never ending long march begin with this small step.       

HRD Climate in Lace Park

“Give a man a fish and he will eat it, train a man to fish and he will feed his family”.

Human Resource Development (HRD) is a newly emerging filed. In the contemporary business environment, organizations are in a constant state of competition. As the intensity of competition increases annually, the need for the organizations to continuously improve their performance has become greater. HRD professionals must focus on continuous innovation by responding positively to new ideas, trends, and constantly keeping track of new trends. HRD consists of three Cs: Competencies, Commitment and Culture. All these are needed to make an organization function well. Its utility comes to the force especially when organizations are in trouble.

HRD is an essential process for organizational survival and growth. Every organization can do a lot to make their human resource become dynamic and pro-active through proper selection of such human resource and nurturing their dynamism and other competencies. An optimal level of ‘development climate’ is essential for facilitating HRD. The general climate items deals with the important given to human resources development in general by the top management and line managers. The OCTAPAC items deal with the extent to which Openness, Confrontation, Trust, Autonomy, Pro-activity, Authenticity and Collaboration are valued and promoted in the organization. OCTAPAC culture is essential for facilitating HRD.

Every organization needs to have well trained people to perform the activities that have to be done by specialists alone. In order to increase job performance, it is necessary to raise the skill levels and increase the versatility and adaptability of employees. In a rapidly changing society, employee training and development is not only an activity that is desirable but also an activity that is desirable but also an activity that an organization must commit resources to if its is to maintain a viable and knowledgeable workforce.

“Training is the act of increasing the knowledge and skill of an employee for doing a particular job”. Training is a process of learning a sequence of programmed behaviour. It is an application of knowledge. It gives human resource an awareness of the rules and procedures to guide their behaviour. Training makes a very important contribution to the development of the organization’s human resource and hence to the achievement of its aims and objectives. To achieve its purpose, training needs to be effectively managed so that the right training is given to the right people, in the right form, at the right time and at the right costs. It attempts to improve their performance on the current job or prepare them for an intended job.  

Development is acquisition of capabilities – capabilities that are needed to do the present job or the future expected job well. Development of human resource is essential for any organization that would like to be dynamic and growth-oriented. Unlike other resources, human resources have rather unlimited potential capabilities. The potential can be used only by creating a climate that can continuously identify, bring to surface, nurture and use the capabilities of human resource. HRD aim at creating such a climate. Many dimensions of HRD have been integrated into research, training and organizational design and change. Successful organizations pay adequate attention to their human resource development functions.    

Enhancement of utilization value of human resource depends on improvement of the human resource aspects like skill, knowledge, creative abilities and talents and moulding of other aspects like values, beliefs, aptitude and attitude in accordance with the changing requirements of groups, organization and society. This process is the essence of HRD. It improves the utilization value of an organization. Exactly the process was followed by ‘Alankriti’ Lace Park of Narsapur to increase its unitization value to the society. Its main mission is to increase the utilization value of lace artisans by improving their knowledge, skills, creative abilities and talents by conducting training programmes, workshops, exhibitions, fairs and conferences, etc. Human resources become dynamic when the environment for their total development is created by this  organization. Training programmes in the short-run and development programmes in the long-run should be followed this organization for this purpose.

 Training improves, changes, moulds the employee’s knowledge, skills, behaviour, aptitude, and attitude towards the requirements of the job and organization. Job and organizational requirements are not static; they change from time to time in view technological advancement and change in the awareness of the Total Quality and Productivity Management (TQPM). Training and retraining at definite intervals are required to replenish the HR with latest capabilities. Training and development programmes benefit the individuals, groups and organization.

The Lace Park is acting as a liaison in between the local women and the middlemen. The Lace Park provides training to the local women after which they return to their own home and continue knitting. The trained women now are extremely quality conscious and so produce high quality articles. The Lace Park provides the raw material of cotton yarn. The finished product is bought by Lace Park and is in turn sold to the middlemen for a better price.  

Hence, it is observe that through this mode of vocational training Lace Park has touched the lives of innumerable local women and given them a better chance at eking out a living through their craft. Lace Park is proud to share the fact that it has provided training directly to 8,500 local women and 16,230 artisans were trained at primary society level since its inception.

i). Plan of the Training

            The plans and objectives  of the training programmes given by Lace Park are two pronged.

·        One plan is to improve, polish the skills of the local women in crocheting and knitting, design development, fashion garment making and organizing societies.

·        Another plan is to ensure that quality of the product produced by the locals after training is standardized, raised, and maintained perfectly.

              During the training session, all the trainees, irrespective of whether they know  lace making or not taught from the beginning. This is because the technique used by the local women in knitting and lace making is different from the Lace Park technique. In the words of one trainee, “Before training, all that we were bothered about was the deadline. The middlemen would give us the yarn and also a date within which we were supposed to finish knitting a certain number of pieces. Because of this time constraint, we would knit very fast and loosely. We would cover up our mistakes as we went along. But it is  very different in Lace Park. Even the knitting styles is such that we must knit very close knots. This improves the worth of the product”. But since most of the women has been knitting from a very young age, they pick up the new technique with ease. And within the 15 days training many of them graduate to creating their own designs.

ii). The Trainees and their Attitude to Work

            Simplicity, dedication and a sweet sense of humor. This in short can sum up the local women who come for training under Lace Park. All the trainees of Lace Park are women. In fact all lace makers of Narsapur and the surrounding villages are still the women folk. Many of them have studied up to their third grade while some have gone as far as 10^th class before them quite due to monetary constraints.  A day in the local’s life as a trainee begins at 7.30 am when they are served breakfast. Training begins at 9.00 am and goes on till about 1.00 afternoon. After a one-hour break, the trainees get back to their needles and thread till a small tea break in the evening. The trainees are expected to work till 6.00 pm in the night after which they are free to have dinner and go to their own activities. Those who wish to work longer are given full freedom to do so and all the amenities of the work place are provided to them.

iii). Search for Master Lace Trainers (MLT) 

·        Generally one month in-house intensive training will be given for lace artisans identified as Master Lace Trainers. The residential training programme is totally free. All the expenses including breakfast, lunch, Dinner, coffee, tea etc. will be borne by the Lace Park.

·        The training is for 30 days right from 9.00 am to 6.00 pm daily. 20 MLTs are taken as a batch and training is imparted. Already 55 batches were given training so far i.e., 1100 MLTs were trained.

·        MLTs are given training in the areas of book-keeping, material recording like stock of thread bundles and the distribution of the same to artisans and collection of produce from artisans, commission charges etc.

·        On changing tastes, fashions and trends – need for new designs development – knowledge about new orders and requirements to be fulfilled.

·        Inter-personal skills and communication with artisans at the village level.

·        They in turn have to train the artisans at village level workers for more than one week. Commission will be paid to the MLTs on lace workers production value. 1100 MLTs gave training to 14,500 lace artisans, covering 260 Villages in 14 Mandals. From among the skilled MLTs 20 members are retained and maintained by Lace Park for its design development wing for making new designs and samples.

Training programmes were conducted for lace artisans in batches in the art and technique of quality lace product making. The duration may be from one week to two weeks. The total expenditure is borne by the Lace Park.

·        In 2010-11 training in lace making has given to 14 bathes, comprising a total of 200 members for 30 days incurring an expenditure of Rs. 1,09,260. The per capita expenditure for one member is Rs. 546/-.

·        In the year 2010-11, 256 lace artisans were given training in design development work in 12 batches for one month each batch and the total amount spent by Lace Park on training was Rs.5,16,895, a per head expenditure of Rs. 2,019/-.

·        In the year 2010-11, fashion technology training certificate course was given to 64 members in three batches, allocating three months period for each batch. The Lace Park spent Rs. 2,46,671/- for facilities like boarding, hostel etc., to the trainees. The trainee expenditure was Rs. 3,854/- 

iv).Training on Fashion Technology

            It is a residential programme for a period of three months. It is fully free of cost. Lace Park provides everything. The total expenditure is borne by the Lace Park. The eligibility to get admission into the fashion technology course is that one should be a member of any village level society, where society is not in existence and one should have attained 18 years of age at the time of admission. Fashion technology is a three months certificate course.  In this course the main subject is garment-making as per changing fashions.

At the end of the three months duration, for all eligible candidates, the Lace Park issue certificates in fashion technology course.

·        Fashion technology certificate holders will be provided with work by the Lace Park.

·        Lace Park recommends for bank loans and sees that they are given financial assistance by banks if they want to carry on their work on their own.

·        District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) project subsidy is also given to them.

·        Lace Park gave 15 Japan made Juki sewing machines to the certificate holders.

·        Nearly 40 members who did fashion technology course in Lace Park are working with Lace Park.

v). Features of  HRD Climate

• 70 percent  trainees’ parents occupation is agricultural labour and the rest of the respondents don’t have proper occupation background. This poor economic background is one reason for sending the girls to the Lace Park trainee.
• 75 percent of the lace trainees belong to Kapu, Settibalija, Agnikulashtriya communities. This fact proves the poverty of the majority of upper caste in this region.
• Learning and mastering the craft takes more time and hence the trainee after the training should also be guided by experts in the work.
• Half of the trainees are fully confident about their knowledge and skills in the work which means the rest of the respondents require further training and coaching.
• 70 percent of the lace workers are having below 20 years and 20 percent of workers belong to 20-40 age group. This clearly lays down that maximum young girls are joining the Lace Park. The design development and garment making wings are filled with these young creative girls. 
• 70 percent of the women workers were un-married, and 30 percent were married. Because the staff of design development wing has to stay in the hostel, maximum number of un-married girls preferred this lace work. More number of married women is working in garment making wing where they can go home after the work if they prefer so.
• 40 percent of the workers are having upper primary level education i.e., below 7^th class, followed by 35 percent in the category of secondary education i.e., below 10^th class. Still the girls in the rural areas are not getting proper encouragement for higher education; instead they are forced to go to work at an early age.       

Scope for Further Research

There is an imperative need to take up more studies at this level to understand the problems of crochet lace artisans more vividly. Such an understanding is necessary to evolve appropriate measures to deal with their problems and to bring about overall development of artisans of lace industry in general. 

Conclusion

            From its inception Lace Park strived for upgrading the knowledge, skills and creative abilities of lace artisans. Its main mission is to impart qualitative training to the lace artisans to improve their productivity and their income. With this objective the Lace Park organized in-house training programmes to all interested lace artisans free of cost bearing the total expenditure on training and development of the lace artisans.

To motivate the trainees and also women workers awards or prizes may be rewarded and allowance may be given to the master lace trainers. Some of the young and sharp women workers may be sent to cities to get latest training in fashion designing.

Lace industry currently behind the iron curtains of a few private exporters  and most of the lace women workers are un-organised and desperate. The crochet lace industry has potential for women employment and foreign exchange earning. There is still male dominance persist in the society and most of the women earnings are spent on the family and they are treated like machines with out giving due weightage for their empowerment. The government is to bring out the women at their invisible marginalized and dependent position to an independent confident member of the society, playing a conscious role in the development of the community and their by the State and the country as a whole.

Reference:   

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2)      Dr.Gandham Sri Rama Krishna, Dr. N.G.S.Prasad(2010), Role of Women Artisans in Crochet Lace Industry, Indian Economic Panorama Journal, New Delhi. July, Vol.20 No.2. PP40-43.

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7)      Government of India(1974), Towards Equally- Report of the Committee on the States of Women in India, Department of Social Welfare, New Delhi.

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12)  www.lacepark.net

13)  www.Indianhandicrafts.org.in

14)  www.lacismuseum.org