Uttar Pradesh's Meerut town is in danger of losing another of its identities - its once thriving scissor-making units.

Before India's partition in 1947 and even later, Meerut's scissors were exported to Burma and Singapore. But the surge of Japanese goods ended this, reports Grassroots Features.

There has been no large-scale export in recent times. Now the industry itself is threatened by cheap imports. 

In the last two decades, Indian industry has seen enormous progress. Sadly, Meerut's scissor industry remains untouched.

Meerut's artisans manufacture scissors for tailors and barbers, zigzag scissors for designers, and even scissors for cutting bangles. The artisans boast that by just laying their hands on any kind of scissor, they can make an exact replica in next to no time.

Various steps go into the making of scissors - tapering, hole making, hand forging on the grinder, polishing, fine shaping, surfacing, smoothening, joining of handles and joining the two parts together. Finally, there is embossing and packaging.

Various artisans are involved in the process. For instance, women do the tapering and hand grinding.

A scissor artisan can make Rs.70-100 a day depending upon the kind of job he or she is capable of.

There are about 50 manufacturing units and approximately 6,000 people, all Muslims, involved in the industry at various levels. Workshop owners hire all the artisans on a contract basis.

The reasons for the industry's stagnation and uncertain future are manifold. Foremost is the lack of capital.

The government did make some effort during the last decade of the 20th century to provide bank loans. About a thousand artisans availed of these and received Rs.5,000 each. But according to them, Rs.500 was spent on fees and other formalities, and they couldn't do much with the remaining amount. Many were unable to repay their dues. 

"Missions Scissor Works" owner Iqbal Husain pointed out that he wanted to take a loan of Rs.100,000 to modernise but was asked to show a turnover of Rs.1.2 million during the previous year.

If he had that much of turnover, he added with a wry smile, he would not have needed a loan!

The second major problem is marketing. The industry is dependent on wholesalers for marketing, so a major chunk of the profit goes into their pockets.

Then, there are serious health concerns. Many artisans complain of chest problems.

V.K. Bakshi, a doctor, says this is because they work under unhealthy conditions. Iron dust generated by the grinding process is sucked into their lungs and gets deposited at the bottom, leading to heaviness and constant coughing.

An unfinished pair of scissors costs between Rs.300 and Rs.700 a dozen. The finished product retails for Rs. 500 to Rs.1,000 per dozen, depending upon the quality and material of the scissors.

Shija-ud-din is an average workshop owner. He makes about Rs.7,000-Rs.8,000 a month. He complains that the increase in his income has not kept pace with inflation. He is also dissatisfied with the low returns manufacturers get.

Although the artisans tried to join hands and formed a "Scissors Manufacturers Association" during the 1970s, it did not last long. Some abortive attempts were made later too, but nothing much came of them.

--Indo-Asian News Service