Once trapped in bonded labour, now stitching a livelihood of her own

While stitching a blouse that now earns her ₹200, Valli recalls a time not long ago when her days looked very different. Back then, she spent nearly 12 hours in sugarcane fields, bundling stalks under the sun and rain, without wages and little control over her life.

It was in 2018 that the turn began. Valli and her husband, both daily wage labourers then, wanted to build a small house for their family. To arrange the money, they approached a person they knew in their village. In return, the couple agreed to work in sugarcane fields linked to him, assuming they would earn wages while gradually repaying the amount.

Instead, the work tightened into bondage.

On the fields

For the next two years, the family moved between sugarcane fields across parts of Karnataka, particularly around Davanagere, and some districts in neighbouring Tamil Nadu. 

While the work would start at 6 a.m., Valli said she would wake up around 3 a.m., cook food for the family, and then leave for the fields. From around 6 a.m. until evening, her husband cut the sugarcane while she bundled the stalks that would later be loaded onto trucks.

Despite the long hours, wages never came. “They only gave money for provisions,” Valli recalled. Even after working through the week, the family had little to show for it. “Having one meal a day itself felt like a big thing.”

Nomadic life

The family stayed in temporary shelters near the worksites, moving wherever the harvest took them. Their two children, a three-year-old son and a two-year-old daughter then, stayed close to the fields while the couple worked.

Life, Valli said, beyond the fields slowly faded away. “When we were going through those difficult times, I had only one thought in my mind — my children should not go through the same trauma.” 

During the monsoon, they carried tarpaulin sheets, holding them up against the rain while continuing to bundle the cane, she said, further adding that women workers were also expected to work during menstruation, without access to basic facilities.

“We never realised we had slipped into bondage until it was too late,” she said.

Free at last

Things changed only when the family was rescued with the support of an organisation working with bonded labour survivors. Post-rescue, she became associated with Udayonmukha Trust, which supports survivors by providing skill training in tailoring, jewellery making and handicrafts.

Valli joined a training programme in advanced tailoring, where she learnt to stitch garments, such as blouses, churidars and frocks. “We were taught many things, especially about building better livelihoods. They encouraged me to take up tailoring, something I had never imagined learning at that time,” Valli said. 

Each blouse she stitches now earns her around ₹200, and with it, a sense of independence.

“We are happy now. We earn money for the work we do. We are not restricted or controlled by anyone. We have the freedom to make decisions for our family,” she said.

Her hopes now centre on the future she wants for her children. “I want them to have a good education. They should be able to choose their own careers, and their own future,” she added.

Rehab help

After being formally recognised as a released bonded labourer, she received government assistance meant for rehabilitation. She used the support to complete construction of the house that she and her husband had originally borrowed money to build, that had eventually pushed them into bondage.

Having lived through bonded labour herself, Valli also hopes to help others who might still be in similar situations. At the same time, she believes rescue alone is not enough. Survivors, she says, need financial, psychological and social support to rebuild their lives.

Published – March 08, 2026 08:09 am IST