Anthropological Study on Beesi Network Among Urban Poor Muslims

Network linkages and money management: an anthropological purview of the Beesi network amongst the urban poor muslims in old city area of Lucknow, India. IMTFI 1st Inaugural Conference 4th-6th November 09 Dr. Syed AimanRaza Lecturer, Department of Anthropology Shia PG College Lucknow India

The Problem The global recession might end soon, but there are no signs of settling down of the woes of the poor in third world countries. The impact of recession is huge- there are definite signs of job losses, loss of income, high expenditures and an unusual increase in food prices. This dilemma of poverty becomes more pathetic when these earnings are just less than 2$, working for more than eight hours a day. How can one survive in such conditions of haplessness and misery? ??? Do they compromise on the education of their children or do they make compromises on the health front and then what keeps them afloat????

The Answer lies here - The answer lies somewhere in their social structure, which helps in maintaining strong social networks and ties among the members of the neighbourhood and sometimes even employing financial tools, many linked to informal networks and family ties, which according to Coleman (1990) is social capital of the society - a glue that holds societies together (Serageldin, 1996, p.196). Social capital consists of norms, networks and horizontal associations (Putnam, 1993; Putnam, Leonardi and Nanetti, 1993), having important economic consequences on development outcomes including growth, poverty and poverty alleviation (Grootaert, 1996).

Networks These networks are structures of relationships linking social actors are ubiquitous in contemporary society, especially among the poor, in third world countries. They act as instrumental aid for individuals whose social and economic disadvantages place them beyond the frontier of formal finance (Von Pischke, 1991), successful financial intermediation is often accompanied by social intermediation. Social intermediation prepares marginalised groups or individuals to enter into informal networks often known as Rotating Services and Credit Associations (ROSCA s) In West Africa they are tontines, paris, or susus (Krahen and Schmidt, 1994) Hui in Taipei (Beatriz and Murdoch, 2005) Beesi in India.

Aim of the Study The study contributes to the linking of micro levels of analysis of money management through informal financial network (ROSCA), popularly known as Beesi, among the poor skilled Zardozi (embroidery) workers in Lucknow, along with highlighting other different financial tools used for money management. heds light on various dimensions of social capital, poverty, household economic portfolio and how families live on so little- less than two dollars a day.

Methodology The data was collected from 60 households belonging to the Asna Ashari Shia sect, who are involved in Zardozi (embroidery) work, from two distinct Shia dominated areas of the old city in Lucknow - Ghazi Mandi in Bajaza and Raees Manzil in Husainabad. Purposive sampling was done and only those households were covered which were managing their finances through informal Beesi networks. Criterion Sampling was also done to select the Beesi networks which had a majority Zardozi workers attached to it Household census, which included all the social indicators education, migration, health and household assets, consumption of essential commodities was conducted. Participant observation along with narrative and in-depth interviewing, having open ended and fixed response questions was done. Focus group interviews provided relevant information about problems and prospects in Zardozi (embroidery) as an occupation, including income and expenditures variations caused due to seasonality.

Zardoz At Work

Average Income and Expenditure Raees Manzil Seasonal Variations in Earnings- Raees Manzil Raees Manzil's Average Weekly Expenditures and Earnings According to Household Members 250 House Members Money Spent Money Earned 200 36.46 150 Axis Title 33.04 31.25 28.44 100 23.0224.08 50 18.43 20.23 17.3517.7319.22 17.54 13.5415.1013.40 0 10.1910.4611.6012.0313.75 13 1 2 11 3 4 10 5 6 7 8 8 9 7 10 6 5 4 3 2 0 Household Members Madday (Period of Recession) March-August 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Income and Expenditure Ghazi Mandi Ghazi Mandi's Average Weekly Expenditures and Earnings According to Household Members Seasonal Variations in Earnings- Ghazi Mandi 250 200 Household Members Money Spent Money Earned 150 Axis Title 48.18 43.85 100 38.02 36.3937.28 33.07 50 28.24 22.92 23.08 22.60 21.32 0 16.6518.2919.0720.04 12.19 18.92 1 2 3 13 4 12 10.4511.97 11.72 5 11 6 10 7 8 8 9 7 6 5 3 2 Household Members Madday (Period of Recession) March-August Work Season (September-February) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Educational Status Never to School Going to School 18 16 16 14 14 12 12 10 10 8 Male Male 8 Female Female 6 6 4 4 2 2 0 0 0-5 60-Above 6-10 11-15 16-20 21-25 26-30 31-35 36-40 41-45 46-50 51-55 56-60

Educational Status Left School Due to Poverty 25 20 15 Male 10 Female 5 0 0-5 60-Above 6-10 11-15 16-20 21-25 26-30 31-35 36-40 41-45 46-50 51-55 56-60

The Beesi Process

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