Nine Rupees An Hour: Disappearing Livelihoods of Tamil Nadu

by Aparna Karthikeyan

In a rapidly urbanising nation, rural India is being erased from the popular imagination. Through her five years of travelling across the villages of Tamil Nadu, Aparna Karthikeyan gets to know men and women who do exceptional—yet perfectly ordinary—things to earn a living. She documents, through ten of these stories, the transformations, aspirations and disruptions of the last twenty-five years. The people she meets force these questions of her, and her reader: What is the culture we seek to preserve? What will become of food security without farmers? How can ‘development’ exclude 833 million people?

Including interviews with journalist P. Sainath, musician T.M. Krishna and writer Bama, among others, Nine Rupees an Hour is a critical portrayal of the drastic and systematic erosion of traditional livelihoods.

These engaging narratives unravel a peoples’ perspective of work and life, where creative beauty and human dignity merge to matter, even if their worth in market-obsessed economics is merely nine rupees an hour. Evocative and relevant, they jostle our comfort. Statistics and economic analyses of wages and work, juxtaposed with the lives people lead, help us understand the situation on the ground. A book all of us must read’

—Aruna Roy, Social activist

Sustainable livelihoods provide the foundation for a happy life. We owe a deep sense of gratitude to Aparna Karthikeyan for bringing out this useful book based on real-life examples. I hope the book will be widely read.

—M.S. Swaminathan, plant geneticist and agricultural scientist

Genres: Nonfiction, India, Indian Literature

290 pages, Paperback

Published January 3, 2024

Reviews

[Kavita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aparna Karthikeyan is a journalist who has been chronicling art and craft livelihoods in India. Associated with PARI, Ms. Aparna has written Nine Rupees an Hour to record the livelihoods of different communities in Tamil Nadu. The title of the book is an apt reflection of the kind of pay these skilled workers get for their hard work. Indeed, korai mat makers from Pattamadu get exactly this amount.

One thing that really stands out from this book is that rural India's economy relies heavily on farming. This doesn't mean everyone is a farmer, but everyone's work is in someway connected to farming. If the farming goes well, other industries thrive. Now that farmers are facing scarcity and hopelessness, these other industries are gradually going out of business. Another significant aspect is that many people in rural areas work in farms part time during the periods that is low business. If agriculture is boosted, all other things might again fall in place.

I really enjoyed the stories of the craftspeople and artists. Ms. Aparna has a light touch and while she makes her points about the struggles of these people very clearly, she also manages to engender interest in their actual business. From scythe producers to horse dancers, all these livelihoods are delightful to read about. It also made me realise how little us city-bred professionals know about the rural areas and life and work there. I've also realised I just have not travelled enough in Tamil Nadu ...

Scattered in between the chronicles are interviews with personalities like T.M. Krishna, P. Sainath, P. Ayyakannu, S. Janakarajan, D. Thomas Franco Rajendra Dev, Bama, and Prabha Sridevan, all renowned personalities and activists in their own right. These interviews give some further perspective to the overall theme of rural livelihoods.

Best of all, I really had fun reading this book. One would think that it would be depressing to read about all kinds of struggles, but Ms. Aparna has a light touch. Here's hoping at least some of these livelihoods can be saved and made to thrive!

[Nanditha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always prided myself on being from Tamil Nadu and the rich culture and the history that is home to the state. Reading this book, however, made me realize how embarrassingly little I know about the state in reality.

Storytelling is a very powerful medium - it helps us empathize, learn, and understand the complex world around us. That is why this book is extremely impactful as it follows the lives of a nadaswaram maker, a "poikaal kudirai" dancer, a farmer, and a pathamadai mat maker among many others. From covering their everyday routines (filled with long hours of hard, physical labour which is rarely rewarding, appreciated or even merely respected) to explaining the economics of their lives and how their livelihoods affect the people around them (the families and the communities), Aparna Karthikeyan's immersive field work does what it intends to do. It made me appreciate, respect, and become awestruck of these people who do so much work day in and day out, merely just about covering their expenses in the good months. It also made me painfully aware of my privilege and made me feel guilty about the money we make in the organized sector.

Read this book if:

- You love social sciences.
- You love Tamil Nadu.
- You would like to learn more about a diverse range of livelihoods.
- You like reading immersive stories.
- You have empathy.
- You are (or would like to be more) humane.

Definitely a must read.

[Dhanaraj Rajan · Rating 4 out of 5]

1. Question: What is the book about?
Answer: The answer is in the title of the book itself. It is about the 'Disappearing Livelihoods of Tamil Nadu.

2. Question: What is a livelihood?
Answer: "...a work that supports a person's life, and is sustained by natural (sometimes related social and cultural) resources. This takes care of the practitioner's essential needs, across lifespan, even if their earnings seem meagre or irregular to a city dweller."

3. Question: What will happen if the resources that sustain these livelihoods are denied access or completely destroyed?
Answer: "...When the resources disappear or are destroyed or access to them is barred, that livelihood is wrecked."

4. Question: Can you elaborate it with an example?
Answer: "Suppose you are by tradition and skill an inland fisherman, if I privatise that water, then you're out. You've lost that livelihood and can't simply just find another river. You were supporting yourself and your family through that resource. [Now it is lost and along with that a livelihood.]"

5. Question: What will be the result then of such disappearance of a livelihood?
Answer: Simple. The people migrate to city looking for any job. The traditional knowledge associated with their livelihood is gradually lost.

6. Question: But is that not okay? Anyway, they get to live, most probably in better circumstances.
Answer: It is not completely okay. Say, for example if their traditional work was something demeaning (eg: manual scavenging), it is okay to move away from it. But in many cases, moving away from traditional livelihood is an indication of loss of particular skill and very unique traditional knowledge. For example, if Pathamadai Mat does not get the recognition that it deserves, the people associated with it will look for other jobs in the city where there will be a good pay. The slow migration towards the ‘greener pastures’ by the people who for generations had been employing a particular skill will kill that skill and the knowledge associated with it. There are more examples of them: Karuppatti (palm sugar) making, Nadaswaram Making (Narasingampettai), Traditional Performances, Breeding of Native Cattle, etc.

7. Question: Oh, is that so?
Answer: That is not all. With the end of a livelihood, a culture too comes to an end, the culture built around that livelihood.

8. Question: Is it not the same everywhere?
Answer: Not exactly. In most developed and enlightened cultures, the local cultures and livelihoods along with the traditional knowledge and skills are appreciated and promoted. The government and the people take pride in them and translate their appreciation by actively promoting them. Take for instance the way the Canadian Government promotes the Maple Syrup and Sugar. Now compare that with the way the Palm Sugar and people associated with that are treated by our government.

9. Question: What is the reason for such in-congruence?
Answer: May be the answer lies in the way we look at the people engaged in such works. May be, it is the caste that they belong to, conditions our thinking. May be we fail to see their skills as skills. The government does not recognize these neither and bring in policies that are detrimental to their livelihoods.

10. Question: What can we do now?
Answer: We should begin to look at them as people first without giving a thought to their castes. When we accept a person as an equal, we will begin to accept and appreciate whatever he/she does. They will be recognized as traditional skills and part of traditional knowledge. Once such perception becomes widespread, the government will invest in promoting it and will form policies that are not detrimental to them.

11. Question: This is what this particular book is about?
Answer: Yes. But the execution is very creative. The author does not present them as research articles. Rather, she lets the people involved in such traditional livelihoods speak for themselves. She lets them tell their stories. You get to hear the stories of a Thiruppaachi Aruval (Sickle) maker, a Poikkaal Kuthirai Dancer, a designer for Kancheepuram Sarees, etc. The writer lets you see their lives; lets you live in their surroundings; lets you feel their apprehensions; lets you feel their pain and fears.

12. Question: So, what do you suggest?
Answer: Do get a copy and read it for yourself and if possible ask others to read it.

[Balasubramaniam Vaidyanathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

For every privileged guy in the world, there live thousands of talented other in wretchedness. I know people who never get opportunity to compete in this world despite having merits. So when someone shouts about meritocracy, I smile silently and leave the place. Reading about them make me realise my privileged existence in the world and make me grounded. At least I had the opportunity to study with poor kids and know about poverty. But look at today’s children, I would compare them to Siddartha of Kapilavastu. They get private education mostly with kids of similar class. Pampered heavily by parents, always getting the things they want. Simply they do not know about the otherness of the Society. Worst still, some of them carry negative attitude towards poor folks. They are perplexed when confronted with real problems. These kids are the future citizenry.

When the highly learned and erudite central minister opines that more people should get out of agriculture, and somebody else advised to adopt to Israeli methods for agriculture, I do not blame them - they are convent educated kids just like our kids today. And when these people are in-charge for managing the affairs of the So-categorised “Others” and assume patronising attitude the matters turn worse for them. One more thing, As like our kids, they also do not like to be criticised. That’s why when farmers protest half naked in Delhi, it becomes entertainment for them ( Please do not assume I am against one particular party - I would prove every single party would do the same thing when in power - the problem is systemic). If a guy migrates to city, that the end. For his offsprings, Village is a casual entertainment. And one more thing, Life in Village / secondary towns are not as romantic in reality as in Bharathiraja films.

In this situation, books like ‘Nine rupees an hour’ assume significance. These kind of books offer a peephole view of the real village and its problems.

First, the style of writing - I really liked it. First there are few life sketches of a Village folks covering their trials and tribulations along with slivers of happiness and then an interview with the subject matter expert. The trouble with non-fiction reading is that the subject becomes statistics and many-a-times, you really do not think the subject as a flesh and blood human as you. This book’s approach avoids it totally and clearly conveys the issue. I have observed this approach in ‘Everybody loves a good drought’ by P. Sainath ( I am yet to finish the book, now I will restart).

Second, the contents- I would say a good mix of contents that provides the cross section of Village society - we get a glimpse of agriculture, indigenous bull breeds, Palm climbing & Sickle making constitutes Part 1. The interviews included in this section are of Ayyakkannu, Prof. S. Janakiraman (MIDS), D. Thomas Franco Rajendra Dev( AIBOC former general secretary) & P. Sainath. I consider this part to be the best in the book.

Second part deals with occupations that requires artistic skills - A dancer with folk and Bharatanatyam skills ( I didn’t know about the lad till I read this book), Kanchipuram Silk weaving designer, Nagaswaram Maker, Veena Maker, Pathamadai Mat maker,Koothu artist & Poikkaal kuthirai Artist. All of them have won awards and accolades. The interviews included in this section are of Writer Bama, Justice Prabha Sridevan & T M Krishna. The point that came up again and again was about the casteism / classicism of Bharatanatyam. I beg to differ on that count as I have observed classical music scene in the western world and would be able to draw some parallels ( a subject in itself, which required separate writing). Barring that point, I do not have much discomfort in this section.

The book rightly points to us that hard core agriculture is just a part of agrarian economy but the whole agrarian ecosystem depends on agriculture. Further this book also highlights how ill-informed we are about the real troubles of people. Many a times, government interventions (should I say misadventures) complicate the scene. One of the interviewee clearly pointed out that ‘It is indeed farmers who subsidised government and not vice versa’. I completely get it. The book also highlights unrecognised role the women in agrarian economy - I have seen it in person. The records never mention them.

Invariably, everyone wants their wards not to enter their profession - not enough money, not enough comfort and most importantly, no brides for them. Why? We are hypocrites. We simply do not value the contribution of the so called ‘Others’ to the society. Writer Bama in her interview candidly summarises
“It is about respecting another human being. If I respect a person, everything about them will seem beautiful. If I think they are lesser beings, then whatever they do will appear mediocre. We don’t value what they do because we don’t recognise them as equal human beings. The same is true for gender. A woman is objectified and only seen as someone who gives pleasure and comfort. If they were treated as equals, with dignity, rights and freedom, there won’t be any violence. This is what we are sorely lack in this country: seeing people as fellow humans.”

The book doesn’t offer solutions. Of course, It is not the purpose of the book. But it makes you think. India’s problems are very different from the problems of say Europe / Americas. But our political system adopts the solution meant for the Europeans / Americans without even considering Europe exported lot of people to Colonies and western world lost quite a bit of their working force to bloody wars. We often spend considerable energy and time in focussing on non-issues. One of the interview clearly identifies the problem -
“National dailies publishing from Delhi devote, on average, 0.67 per cent of their front page to rural India, where 69 per cent of the population lives. Why do they do this? Because corporations have reduced journalism to a revenue stream in the last thirty years. For me, paid news, fake stuff, is not an aberration. It’s entirely true to the characteristic and logic of profit-seeking corporate media. ‘I will do what makes money for me; I will cover you if that makes money for me.’ So people don’t cover you if you don’t add to their revenue.”

And finally one more quote to ponder from the book - “So, we have systematically destroyed existing occupations and livelihoods without creating any alternatives. This has happened to farmers, weavers, to the agrarian society at large, in some stupid illusion that industry will absorb them. No such industry exists. What manufacturing jobs have you created in the last twenty-five years of the neoliberal economic policies ruling this country? The one sector that you’ve created jobs in was the IT sector. And in 2017, the top seven IT firms, which had a pre-tax profit of 23,000 crore, laid off 56,000 workers in the mid-senior level. Many of them might have been earning 1.5 to 2 lakh each. Then the firms would take in fresh graduates at 20,000 or 30,000 monthly and render unemployed those who faithfully served those companies for ten–fifteen years, and who are going to be in serious trouble because every one of them will have three EMIs—for the house, car and education. How will they now pay 90,000 a month? They are finished. Second, there are going to be fewer and fewer jobs in the kind of development we have undertaken. On the one hand, a lot of jobs are automated, robotised. And on the other, Artificial Intelligence is going to wipe out, on a scale we cannot imagine today, even many middle class occupations. Not just those of workers. In banks, ATMs have replaced so many jobs. But earlier, they destroyed you in one area, because they needed you in another. Now, they’re going to have people they don’t need anywhere. Huge sections will be completely dispossessed. They’ll replace them with automation, AI and machines. You haven’t a hope in hell in addressing this question within the current policy framework. You cannot address it when you’re grooming and nurturing inequality. Inequality is the womb of violence, the cradle of fundamentalism, the playground of unelected power, and the graveyard of secularism and democracy. You’re creating such great, gigantic inequalities.”

[Sudharsan]

Essential reading.

[Vishal Katariya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it very much. I will come back to this at some point in the future too.

[Krutika · Rating 5 out of 5]

| R E V I E W |
~
"When a livelihood dies
a way of life vanishes;
and the language too
is diminished." - Cho Dharman.

"It takes a village to write a book." - Aparna Karthikeyan.
~
Nine Rupees An Hour is a detailed book about the lesser known and barely appreciated professions in Tamil Nadu. Even though I've never been to TN, I could picture the scenery, I could feel the mild breeze or the blazing hot sun on my skin. What I loved about this book was how educational it was apart from being engaging. While we often end up wasting food, it's hard to think of lakhs of farmers who shed their sweat and blood to put food on our plates. While I drank my first glass of Toddy last year, never did I think of the men who climbed tall trees to make this happen. We have been taking too many things for granted and this book will serve as an eye opener, urging us to change our ways of living.
~
Divided into ten stories, Aparna takes us through the vanishing livelihoods of the State. As she begins with farming and goes on to speak of the dreaded famine of TN back in 2016-17, she speaks to farmers about their heartbreaking experiences as they struggled without water leading to many of them taking their lives leaving behind their wives and children to pay off the debts. With little or no help from the government, the farmers take loan from moneylenders who charge a higher rate of interest. It is also a lesser known fact that women do 70% of backbreaking work while men are often credited for the harvest. Aparna then moves on to Jallikattu and the work opportunities it has to offer. When the government banned the sport due to allegations of animal abuse, the livelihood of thousands of people took a severe blow.
~
She speaks of the brave Soundaram Ramasamy who single-handedly manages a bull stud farm tending to the giants like a mother. If you google her name, you'll find her posing with Singaravelan, a bull that's twice her size. Aparna covers various aspects ranging from palm tree climbing to sickle making which may seem ordinary but requires tremendous hardwork, sometimes risking their lives. Hindu weddings are incomplete without the beautiful Nadaswaram playing in the background but we never appreciate what it takes to create such a lovely musical instrument. Aparna speaks to couple of Nadaswaram makers to understand how crucial it is to get the right kind of wood to make them and the effort that goes into creating the perfect instrument. She then speaks of dance forms, Bharatanatyam which Kali, a young man is famous for and Poikal Kuthirai (performed with a dummy horse) in which a woman in her sixties is often seeked out to entertain the crowd. There's also a chapter dedicated to Kanchipuram sarees and the intricate manner in which they are woven. The amount of hardwork and dedication that goes into each of these jobs is truly breathtaking.
~
Parents from these livelihoods wish an easier life for their children by sending them to school. With the onset of every year, many of these are taking a hit forcing people to abandon their line of work which oozes culture and holds roots of their ancestry, to move to cities and find other jobs. It pained me immensely to read about how less they earn for all the work that they do, the middlemen taking a majority cut. I do sincerely hope that the government will support them, even more so now when people are fascinated with cities. Nine Rupees An Hour is a brilliant book that manages to touch our conscience. Another interesting aspect was the interviews Aparna conducted with many renowned personalities including her mentor P. Sainath. I highly recommend this.
~
Rating - 5/5.

[Premanand Velu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many people have already written about this book. I have been delaying it, meaning to read this book and savour it slowly, having followed PARI and Author's articles in it previously. For all those who have read P.Sainath's, 'Everybody Loves a Good Drought' or planning to read, this brings the points raised there to the fore, irrefutably with stories of real lives and also analysing the phenomena by means of a focused discussion with pioneers who have done considerable work on that specific topic.

To understand the context better, one has to look at the presented lives with emphasis on the definition of agrarian society by P.Sainath himself in the book,

"𝒂𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝒔𝒐𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒕𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒃𝒊𝒈𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒇𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑨𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝒅𝒓𝒂𝒘𝒔 𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒂𝒈𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆, 𝒏𝒐 𝒅𝒐𝒖𝒃𝒕, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏 𝒓𝒖𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒂 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒂𝒈𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆. 𝑺𝒐 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒃𝒐𝒅𝒚 𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝒔𝒐𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒕𝒚 𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒍𝒚 𝒊𝒏𝒗𝒐𝒍𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔, 𝑾𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔, 𝒑𝒐𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔, 𝒔𝒎𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒔 - 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝒔𝒐𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒕𝒚."

The people whose lives are showcased, present a complex scenario where their livelihood is impacted by multiple factors like, economical uncertainty, casteist oppression, faulty government policies & their implementation and gender discrimination that are stacked against them and impact their day to day life.

"𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒏 𝒔𝒌𝒆𝒘𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒉𝒚 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌. 𝑨 𝒄𝒓𝒖𝒅𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒆𝒒𝒖𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒍 𝒆𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏. 𝑰𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒂𝒔𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒆𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒔 𝒖𝒏𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅. 𝑨 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒑𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒅𝒆𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒔 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈/𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏𝒗𝒐𝒍𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒓 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌. 𝒊𝒇 𝒊𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 (𝒔𝒂𝒚 𝒂 𝒇𝒆𝒘 𝒅𝒂𝒚𝒔), 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒖𝒏𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌. "

The whole book dangles this question like a democles sword above those lives being presented and are being judged by this perception. For most Indians, rural lives on a cursory look, seems like unskilled and unorganized, but in fact, run as closely knit strand of rural livelihood, where each one is a vital link in the total tapestry that defines the economics, culture and lives of those entwined in it.
The problems in our larger economy and the distresses to rural economical systems is associated always with lack of this understanding while implementing policies which are supposed to be in the interest of the same people who are being adversely effected by it. Recent case in point being implementation of GST and misadventure of Demonitization.
How a vested commercial interest drives a negative narrative and facilitates a legal sanction against such vital link was evident in the way Jallikattu was outlawed. Fortunately civil society could push back by taking the issue to the fore front, not primary because of concern on native breeds, but it also brought the issue of milch cattle Vs draught cattle and their conservation to the mainstream.
The one single factor which pervasively impacts the lives of people as illustrated in those stories is caste. Fundamental understanding of how caste acts as a graded injustice and offers resistence to progress of individuals based on their birth needs to be understood. Whatever example, presented here, highlights the issues faced by contemporary artists like Nrithya and Kali comparitively in this backdrop.
Even in the case of the legendary T.Rajarathnam Pillai who had some success in breaking the stigma he faced, the trickling effect to his Nadaswaram Maker was offset by caste factor, in spite of Pillais effort to share that limelight with his instrument maker.

"𝑫𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆 𝒉𝒊𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒓𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒆𝒔, 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒚 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅, 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒆𝒍𝒔𝒆. 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅, 𝒄𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒆𝒖𝒅𝒂𝒍 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏. 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕'𝒔 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒅 𝒄𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒄𝒄𝒖𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔."

There is a tendency to equate the Caste system in India to division of labour the West evolved into. As Sainath points out, this is a hollow comparison. The key point that is missed, is the difference between choice and imposition.

This is why I look down on many previleged Indians professing that caste lives by reservation, as if it never existed before. A system which tries to offer a crutch, a social justice, to a section which faces imposition is projected as an injustice by previleged section whose choices were never an imposition, is laughable and to be treated with utmost contempt.

𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆, 𝒂 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒏 𝑴𝒊𝒍𝒂𝒏, 𝑰𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒚 - 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒈𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒓, 𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑪𝑬𝑶𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒔𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆. ...𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒓 𝒅𝒂𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒂 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒓.... S𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒅 𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒊𝒕 𝒖𝒑, 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒂 𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒂𝒅𝒗𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂 𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒃𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒂 𝒇𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒚.. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒂 𝒎𝒐𝒄𝒉𝒊 𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒏 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝒗𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒔 𝒂 𝒘𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒅𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒚, 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒎𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒐𝒖𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚.

Even in that, the graded system effects different strata differently, based on the heirarchy as explained by T.N.Krishna.

𝑹𝒂𝒋𝒂𝒈𝒐𝒑𝒂𝒍 𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒔𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒆, 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕'𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒚 𝒊𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌. 𝑯𝒆 𝒌𝒆𝒑𝒕 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎 𝒂𝒔 ‘𝒐𝒛𝒉𝒂𝒊𝒑𝒖' 𝒐𝒓 𝒍𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒓. 𝑰'𝒅 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝑪𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒄 𝒂𝒔 𝒐𝒛𝒉𝒂𝒊𝒑𝒖 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆. 𝑰'𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒔 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒆𝒅𝒈𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒕𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒆𝒅𝒈𝒆.
𝑨𝒓𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏 𝒐𝒑𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒄𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒂 𝒄𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆 𝒐𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒕, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚'𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒍𝒅, 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒉𝒚𝒔𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒍𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒓.

This difference is profound and without understanding, any social measure leads to more Jinx, like the case of appropriation of an art form of Bharathanatyam from Devadasis' Sathir... While outlawing this System of exploitation, there was no measure to credit them with the art they nurtured and instead today we see stories spun around the genesis of the art form by creating fictional deities and sages.
Having first hand accounts on the kind of exploitation women and men from certain community(s) were imposed, I appreciate that abolishment but not the loss of credit and appropriation, which came in as collateral damage due to that measure since it was not done with wholistic intent. The case in point being discussed in the book is also Tamil Isai and the music colleges. sadly, instead of bringing all the evolving arts to mainstream we let them fail or being appropriated as an elite property.

In this I strongly agree with T.M.Krishna, that art cannot be elite. It evolves with lifestyles and that is natural. Song of the fisherman, Dance for dalit Comes naturally. To attribute those to some fictional Bharathamuni can only suit vested narrative and nothing else.

The story of Banking and its role in rural economy is another brutal factor. Time and again, the farmer or any artist, tradesman being treated with suspicion and arrogance by a rigid system tweaked to benefit corporate entities is a big let down. Be it a Palm tree climber or a cattle rearer involved in native breed or a small farmer, or even women entrepreneurs from under privileged background, the system is stacked against them.
This book presents a peek into those lives that are fast disappearing due to changes happening within and around our rural agrarian community and hence is a very important document for following them.

[Ram kumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thought about the book:

Fantastic book to know about livelihood that are among us but often ignored, I have learnt about lot of products and fantastic craftsman behind it, the government and us the people, have collectively ignored the talented skill manship who are going extinct. The author has collected fantastic data from census and other appropriate govt data.

What the book is about:

It's a journal and interaction with/about rural India and people on the edge of the economy , these are the few things that are covered in

1) Challenges faced by Farmer,these are both from delta and non-delta regions.
2) About jallikattu and economics/trade profession around it, challenges and opportunity.
3) About people climbing palm tree and producing palm jaggery.
4) About sickle making and the challenges the makers facing.
5) About various dance forms like bharathanatiyam, poikal kuthiram.
6) About the art of making veenai and nadeshwaram.

What could have been better:
Definitely the writing and editing, the Q/A session at the end of each chapter needs heavy editing as most of the time the person expert speaks about the books they have written and diverging too much from the topic at hand.

Takeaways for me:
I bought this as ebook so I'm definitely buying few physical copies and make my friends read this.I made a small donation to people's archive of rural India which is mentioned in the book and going to follow the social media account religiously.


Verdict: Yes, you should read this to understand the struggles of certain people in rural india, No its no limited for tamil audiance.

[Hamsini · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tremendous body of work- absolutely invaluable for this generation and ones to come. The storytelling was evocative and arousing empathy of professions so distant to urban professionals, while retaining dignity to the various protagonists and subjects. I loved how the author dwelled deeply into livelihoods- a topic/ issue reduced to supplying 'vocational' based training even by the best of non-profits/ social orgs. India has a huge jobs/ livelihoods puzzlr to figure out in the coming years if it wants to create any sort of human dividend.

[Natasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Nine Rupees an Hour' documents ten traditional livelihoods of Tamil Nadu, which are vanishing due pressures of modernisation. In itself a fascinating topic, it comes alive because Aparna uses the voice of the people to tell their stories. It's Empathetic, not preachy.
From Soundaryam who breeds fearsome indigenous bulls, to Rayappan who climbs the equivalent of Mt. Everest every week to tap the sap of palm trees. Selvraj who creates nagaswarams, to Zeenath who weaves GI tagged floor mats. The stories are all told with empathy and grace.
What emerges is not just an understanding of how the system has let down people at the bottom of the pyramid, but also of the determination of the people to preserve their skills, even as they want their children to move on.
I wish she hadn't stopped with ten.

[Santhosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part I ... A Sickle …
1) Let Them Eat Rice (farming)
‘Protests Must Never Stop’
2) Singaravelan: Fighting for the Bulls
‘Groundwater Is a Dangerous Gamble’
3) Fifty Feet Above … (palm economics)
‘Farmers Have Subsidised the Government’ (reduction of rural banking support)
4) Welding Work and Worship (Thiruppachetti aruval)
‘Growth Through Justice’

Part II … and a Song
5) Thaka Thari Kita Thaka (therukkutu, bharatanatyam, karagattam, oyilattam, thappattam)
‘Is This Work Reserved for Their Caste?’
6) The Man Who Drew Ten Thousand Designs (Kancheepuram silk sarees)
7) Making Wood Sing (nadaswaram)
8) The Kuchaali and the Korai (Pathamadai mat)
9) ‘Does the Thanjavur Veenai Inspire the Same National Passion as the Stradivarius Violin?’
10) Draupadi Plays a Final Game of Dice (kattaikkuttu)
11) The Dance of the False-Legged Horse (poikkal kuthirai)
‘Physical Labour Is a Trigger for Art’ (the role of the state and the corporate, the appropriation of only a handful of artforms as 'culture' by a caste-backed system as intellectual elitism)

[maniprabhu · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a book for which the author worked hard physically, mentally and also in other possible ways. Really it is a well written book. It was referred to me by an advocate Mr.B.Kumar.
Though I am a ninety's kid I am able to visualize certain arts which was lost by this society for various other reasons. Hope we will revive back everything that we lost and to secure the culture of this country. Kudos to the author. Must read book for all.

[Anandh Sundar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing read on biodiversity and sustainability

The title seems to only speak about traditional arts bur the author weaves in a seamless narrative around village economies; aspirations; upstream vs downstream espl instruments makers; class system of Carnatic vs folk dance etc

[Shwetha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm glad to have started 2022 with this book. The stories are layered so beautifully starting with the climate change impact on agriculture and food. The author then talks about how the changes impact various other social ecosystems for craftsman, artists and vanishing cultures.

There is no clear solution but an evolution waiting to happen.

[Divya · Rating 5 out of 5]

A phenomenal narrative report on the myriad challenges traditional livelihoods in Tamil Nadu face, each one hard-earned fruit of generations of passion, labour, practice, and knowledge. I learnt enormously and I love when a book has that effect. The writing is simple and effective; the author weaves poignant stories evocatively within the context and complexity of societal norms and economic pressures. A must-read!

[Shankar Ganesh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Aparna for documenting the livelihoods of people who are fast disappearing from our memories, their work no longer being valued by the world.

[Sujani S · Rating 5 out of 5]

What is culture? What happens when indigenous forms of living dwindle? ‘Nine rupees an hour’ traces the disappearing livelihoods of Tamilnadu. The book is filled with stories from the rural belts of Tamilnadu, the forgotten arts and struggles of the sons of the soil. The author begins with tales of the plight of farming in the era of urbanisation. She expertly narrates stories of kaalakaramma and bull rearing, the good old ways of dairy farming. The lives of palm tree climbers and sickle makers bring tears to your eyes. The Kanchipuram silk saree weavers, the Nadaswaram and veenai makers, and Pathamadai mat weavers make you understand how difficult it is to sustain the livelihoods that has been passed down for generations. Kali the Dalit Bharathanatyam dancer, the Kattaikuthu dancers, Kamachi - the poikkal kuthirai queen- all of them smash stereotypical expectations for the love of their art.


The book is significant in understanding how capitalism and corruption has wiped away generations of labour and livelihoods. If you are from Tamilnadu and if grew up in a city, the chances are you know very little about what indisputably forms a major part of Tamil culture. Without proper support from the Government and changing face of the world that focuses on profits more than people, the sufferings of villagers hanging on to their native labour is heartbreaking. The economic and social disparity, gender discrimination in these jobs and also the caste equation make things much more challenging. In a fiery interview, T.M. Krishna calls for preservation of ancient arts and living systems, pointing out the deeply-entrenched caste discrimination in the fields of arts and music.


The author’s impressive research and opinions of experts on solutions to the problems make this book precious. Read it to appreciate the privilege of our comfortable lives and to celebrate these unsung heroes. Highly recommended!

[Thiyagaraj · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you think we are protecting the culture we are so proud of? The answer would be NO after reading this book.
Book reveals discrimination between the arts based on community and caste.

[Rama Ramaswamy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is primarily a recording of livelihoods - particularly the arts and crafts that make up a community. India is primarily an agrarian economy - this doesn't mean everyone is a farmer - but their livelihoods are dependent upon farming. Success of these agricultural and ancillary cottage industries is vital to boost Indian economy. Sadly though, in many ways, these very industries, cultures and activities are dying a slow, painful death, the consequences of which impact innumerable lives - human and otherwise.

This book chronicles 10 different arts and craft forms from Tamil Nadu. Like she mentions in her introduction, they are stories of everyday people who do extraordinary things to earn a living. To name a few - 1. Soundaram, the only woman bull-keeper in the Kangayam region and a legend. She's as rare as her bulls - indigenous breeds that have alarmingly declined in numbers over the years, facing complete extinction due to preference for crossbreds from Europe that are useless in an agrarian economy, but profitable in the short run due to their propensity to yield more milk. 2. Zeenath, weaver of the exquisite Pathamadai pai, once gifted to Queen Elizabeth, who earns a mere nine rupees per hour (GBP 0.087) for painstaking, delicate work that takes a toll on her eyes and lower back. 3. Krishnamoorthy, creator and keeper of over 10,000 exquisite, complex patterns used in the making of the famed Kancheepuram Silk sarees, but faces the threat of obsolescence to powerlooms that dish out cheaper, inferior designs. 4. Kali, the Dalit boy from Kovalam, a fishing village who made it to the prestigious Kalakshetra Dance school in Chennai purely by prodigious talent and nothing else, and now graces the Narada Gaana Sabha in Chennai and similar stages abroad with his mastery over Bharatanatyam, an upper caste brahminical classical dance form. 5. Tamilarasi, a kattaikuttu dancer, a form of folk dance that is hugely popular in the villages during festivals, who dances through the night, but finds it difficult to sustain the dance form as well as her livelihood in the face of discrimination as a low-class, mass pleasing street dance form as compared to elitist upper caste dance forms.

Every story is unique, extraordinary, awe-inspiring and finally, acutely agonising in the way the truth of the dwindling livelihoods is presented to you. The one common thread that hits home as you read, is the fact that in every family, the younger generations do not want to take up the profession. They have moved on to more conventional occupations that pay better and makes living easy for themselves and their families. The artisans themselves, even if it hurts them, do not wish for their children to continue in their footsteps. "Awards and certificates are nice, but you can't eat them, can you?"

Aparna is empathetic, gives a voice to the unheard and educates us of the ground reality. It is fascinating to understand how a nadaswaram maker or a veenai maker, or even a folk dancer's livelihood depends upon agriculture - if there is not a good harvest or a drought, everyone is impacted heavily, pushed into the never-ending well of debt. The government can make their lives better, bring out reforms, support with inclusive recognition or waive loans during droughts etc. It is baffling that we can send satellites to outer space but cannot think of much simpler ways to preserve, enrich and invoke national pride in our rich culture and heritage, indeed, even make these artisans lives easier and give them their due respect and recognition - quite literally the last in their respective lineage.

[Manoj (BooksPoetryandMore) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful cover picture with a thought provoking title is what made me pick this book up for a read. The title “Nine Rupees an Hour” made me pause and think, can this really be? The book is written by Aparna Karthikayen, who is an Independent Journalist. She works with various media houses including PARI – People’s Archive of Rural India founded by P. Sainath, a well respected journalist. And as most of you would agree that any creative/journalistic association with P.Sainath is an endorsement. So, I picked up the book and took a plunge and I am glad that I did.


The Introduction of the book starts with a quote of famous Tamil writer Cho Dharman, which essentially covers the theme of the book.

“When a livelihood dies a way of life vanishes; and the language too is diminished.” – Cho Dharman

Each essay captures the daily lives of the rural people of Tamil Nadu along with the unique and sometime rare professions these people are into. The author gives you a peek into the world of these people through the story of –

a Nadasawaram maker,
a plam tree climber,
a folk dancer,
a sickle maker,
a weaver Kanchipuram sarees and thousands of design hand made by him.
And many more such stories. All the essays bring forth a stark reality of the inequality that exists in our country about which most of the urban population doesn’t even know. Each essay highlights the challenges people are facing in the wake of the traditional occupations being vanished either due to technological disruption or due to sheer bad policy decisions. One will feel sad and enraged by the fact that after spending eleven hours some people don’t even earn hundred rupees a day. Equally frustrating is the government and general apathy towards the overall rural agrarian distress.

[Revati Thatte · Rating 5 out of 5]

The priceless indigenous Indian art forms

This book is an eye opener. It needs to be a must-read for not only the culturally inclined, but also for those interested in social reforms. It is depressing to see that so many of these art forms and the farming culture as a whole stands in jeopardy unless this is looked into and addressed as a national emergency. Although the author addresses the plight in Tamilnadu, this is a nationwide problem and should be addressed as such, urgently. Kudos to the author for highlighting the plight of these professions and artisans, many of which are on the verge of extinction. That would a national tragedy of epic proportions.

[Shilpa · Rating 5 out of 5]

what is the difference between a livelihood and a job? to paraphrase the journalist p. sainath, 'livelihood is work that supports a person's life and is sustained by natural resources - which takes care of that person's essential needs, across a lifespan. when resources disappear or are destroyed, or access to them is barred, that livelihood is wrecked. contrast this with a job, where skillsets are transferable from one workplace to another, across job descriptions.'

[Ganesh R · Rating 4 out of 5]

The hard work behind the book shows in the details that is put forward. A first hand account of many of the popular livelihoods of the state from the view point of the practitioners.

Found a dash of anti upper castism strewn in many of the parts like Carnatic music or Bharatnatyam dance forms.

Well researched and documented life stories of many of the marginalised real identities of the state that needs to be noticed and preserved.

[Pradeep · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nine rupees an hour is a brilliant read, an eye opener in terms understanding of rural India, its community, and how agriculture as a common thread has affected every other rural livelihood. Aparna Karthikeyan’s story telling and her attention to smallest of details makes you appreciate this book even more. Please read this! and please share the message far and wide.

[Kumaresan Selvaraj · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a book that talks about the livelihood of Tamilnadu, which are famous for the Geo and hard for the workers. The Nine rupees an hour talks about a lot of works like pathumadai paai, nathaswaram makers, handloom silks etc... Thanks to Aparna for showing the pain of the workers.

[Anisha Jayadevan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent insights into the difficulties of sustaining rural livelihoods in Tamil Nadu. The interspersed interviews complemented the stories well, but were not cohesive and I would have preferred them to be more detailed essays instead.

[Gowtham · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book, Throws the light on the economy of the rural areas. The Arts and Crafts must be saved before its too late. It's up to the policymakers to see it through. But will they ?

[Kiran Reddy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Journalistic reporting. The book didn't hold my interest or attention. Though factual doesn't evoke connect with the reality and people in it.

[Praveetha vijayan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Has very well documented on the plights of the people involved in Agriculture and Art in Tamilnadu.
Being at the far end of the consumer spectrum, and having a bare minimum knowledge on the source and labour involved in the process, this was an eye opener at many levels!!