By The Grace Of God & The Will Of A Woman
About 900 kms. from the capital New Delhi, the landscape changes drastically. One of the most backward districts in the country, not many would like to set-up an enterprise here. Unreliable power supply, potholed roads, limited connectivity and below par civic amenities characterises this small town.
Ellora Nandi however is brimming with enthusiasm, her Grace English School is the preferred option for local residents who look up to her to provide their children with an early edge. How did she start up here? “My father was in the army, a doctor who chose this town for his post-retirement stint. He wanted to use his experience to serve those who do not always have access to the best medical facilities. Children of this locality were his favourite, more than a doctor he was a friend to them.”
So starting this school was his idea? “Actually it came about after he left us, both my parents passed away within a day of each other. I couldn’t bear to part with the house and move to the city. I was rather lonely in this large estate, so I decided to convert it into an elementary school and take up residence in a small part of the estate.”
Walk Like An Egyptian, In India
I don’t think Kiran would have heard that 1986 hit or of the all-women band. For one she was born in the nineties, and her choice of music may not stretch to English pop since hailing from an Indian village she has limited exposure to the language.
But Kiran Lakhera sure knows about bangles. “We hail from the Lakhera community. As the name implies we are lac-workers, and we are into making lac bangles.” The skills and traditions are handed over from one generation to the next. “My grandmother taught my mother, my sister and I learnt bangle-making from my mother.”
Kiran has completed her schooling, while her younger sister is still studying. “I do most of the bangle-making now. Every morning my mother helps me with the heating and mixing of colours on the oven. When my sister is back from school in the afternoon, she joins me in the shop and helps me handle customers.”
A Timeless Stitch
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.
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