What does it take to reach the elite business district in Mumbai next to Arabian Sea, from a small village near the Bay of Bengal 2000kms. away? I wondered as I met Anwara at an exhibition on the grounds of National Centre of Performing Arts, arguably one of the costliest piece of real estate in the country.
Dressed in an all-black ensemble along with headgear common to Muslim women from rural India, Anwara’s handiwork of intricate embroidery on various garments and accessories on display was however a riot of colour. That’s “kantha stitch” which at times lays out an entire episode from Indian mythology like Ramayana or Mahabharata on a garment, and a really intricate design may take weeks to complete. So obviously it doesn’t come cheap, but those who had their Bentleys and Porsches parked outside the venue do not really need to look at price tags.
WFH But Sell Everywhere
“I grew up seeing women in my family and others in the village stitching together old sarees and making a variety of embroidered kantha quilts,” Anwara was relating her story. This type of embroidery later became popular among marketers of silk sarees, the traditional dress of Indian women, and other designer garments. “They come from the city with silk and other dress material which they give to the women who work from home, and then collect the finished products from them,” she continued with her story.
For a while she joined other women from her village in taking up “kantha-work” for these bulk buyers. “They used to drive a hard bargain and I felt I was always at the losing end,” the soft-spoken Anwara was saying and I could envisage how difficult it would be for her to take on the college-educated, departmental-store type buyers from the city.
Enter Anwar, her husband. “I wouldn’t be standing here if he hadn’t stood by me all through and worked so hard to sell my products,” Anwara smiled looking towards her husband who was showing press clippings of earlier events and felicitations to a small group on the other side. A proud husband indeed and an astute businessman it would seem.
Life Partner, Success Partner
Appreciative of his wife’s work, he decided to check out what it was worth once it reached the boutiques and stores in the big bad city. That was a revelation and from then on he took it upon himself to market the “kantha-work” that his wife specialised in. He negotiated to take up space at various fairs and exhibitions happening around the year, reaching out to customers directly.
In time looking beyond nearby cities, they managed to come all the way to Mumbai. “He accompanies me, handles the transportation and set-up at various locations, does most of the legwork while I concentrate on design and production.” Now with a year-round schedule and growing demand, she has expanded her team thus providing a stable source of income to many more women in her community.
She has also ventured into accessories and handcrafted ornaments to complement the core range of “kantha-work” garments. Anwara and Anwar pick up market trends while travelling across the country, and once she’s back in her village she trains her colleagues on her latest designs. While the “made for each other” names were simply providential, she tells me, their enterprising journey together proved it to be so true in their lives!
Chetnaz Page 