Time was when she didn’t know where her next meal would come from. Today, Kiran not only earns a decent income for herself but has also trained and inspired a number of women in Kandaghat Block of Solan district, Himachal Pradesh, to earn a livelihood and stand on their feet.

Though educated only up to Std V, this enterprising woman has led self-help group Adarsh Swayam Sahayita Samooh in Sayari gram panchayat to make and sell its own ‘brand’ of jute bags, folders, knitwear and other products. Today, the SHG under the National Rural Livelihood Mission programme gets orders round the year from various organisations, including the Himachal Pradesh Institute of Public Administration (HIPA), a venue for seminars and trainings. The bags enjoy a regular local clientèle as well.

Sewing up a future

Kiran, a resident of Shakliana village, had been forced to single-handedly shoulder the responsibility of running her home and educating her children. A gutsy woman, she took an active part in the formation of the SHG in 1999-2000 and was chosen its secretary, a post she has retained since.

Although the group members did take up dairy farming with government subsidy and loans under the rural employment scheme Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (now restructured as the National Rural Livelihood Mission), it did not help much in raising their income. It was their venture in making jute bags that gave them the breakthrough.

A fortnight-long training was imparted by NABARD in 2009 to some group members, including Kiran. Thanks to her entrepreneurial spirit, she followed it up with another month of training in Ambala with the help of her sister, who also lent her ₹10,000.

Kiran bought a sewing machine and material for making bags and trained other members of the SHG. The group began their business venture by selling to the local population. With support from the block development agency, they soon gained a foothold and transformed into a flourishing business over time. The SHG members purchased sewing and knitting machines using a ₹3-lakh loan under the NRLM scheme and rented a small place for the centre. The first ever fair they took their products to was at Shoolini in Solan, where they earned ₹5,000.

They have not looked back since. The members have been selling their products at exhibitions in metro cities like Delhi and Mumbai and other places within and outside the State. Two years ago they managed to sell jute bags and knitwear worth ₹1 lakh at an exhibition in Rajkot.

Self-help and self-respect

Kiran says the opportunity to showcase their products at various places has made them more confident. “It not only gives us a lot of exposure, but we also get new ideas and learn from others to add value to our products.”

Anita, who joined the group over six years ago, says that in addition to the ₹7,000-8,000 that each member earns monthly, they have earned respect and today have their own identity.

“Earlier, people used to say that I am the wife of such-and-such person, now people ask my husband, ‘oh, you are the husband of Anita, who makes those bags?’”

Adarsh Swayam Sahayita also runs a three-month course for women from neighbouring villages, charging a fee of ₹500 per month.

Some industrial institutions, too, have started sending their students to the centre for training.

United they create

While the group gives full credit to Kiran for her leadership, it is their group dynamics that has helped them come so far, says its former president Manju Sharma. “We think alike and act in unison.”

Not resting on the success they have achieved after years of hard work, Kiran and her team are now dreaming big. The group plans to buy land for large-scale production of not just jute bags and knitwear, but many other products as well. They hope to join in with other SHGs in the Sayari gram panchayat under the banner of the Shiv Shakti Gram Sangathan, says Kiran. “Women from all the groups could produce a variety of products and earn money. That will be real empowerment.”

The writer is a senior journalist based in Delhi

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