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INDIA: Handicrafts Give Rural Women A Helping Hand

Nitin Jugran Bahuguna

NAUGAON, India, Sep 5 2010 (IPS) - With her arms loaded with flowers and leaves, Mohini Indrawan negotiates the dusty village track leading up to her house in this northern Indian state, pausing now and then to exchange pleasantries with a passing acquaintance. Her spending a few hours away from home each day was once labelled “immoral”, but Indrawan is now hailed as a role model for other women.

After all, in less than three years Indrawan has transformed from a gauche and poor woman with no income prospects into a successful entrepreneur who is the major breadwinner of her family.

Ever since the 34-year-old, from Ohari village in the northern Indian hill state of Uttarakhand, joined a training programme for handicraft activity started by a local non- governmental organisation in 2007, there has been no looking back.

“With the help of local flora, I make file covers and folders and earn enough money to pay for my children’s school fees and our clothes,” Indrawan says with a hint of pride, as she effortlessly decorates a file cover with dried mountain flowers and leaves.

Handicraft is delicate work, requiring a lot of practice and patience to achieve perfection, and Indrawan’s skill is evident: her file folders and wall picture hangings are in great demand and she has been appointed a master trainer for hopeful apprentices.

Targeted at women who are not engaged in farm activities, the 25-day training programme in handicraft activity was introduced by the Himalayan Action Research Centre (HARC) in Naugaon area of Uttarkashi district, situated in west Uttarakhand.

Due to low levels of literacy, lack of professional skills, time constraints and limited access to information on employment opportunities and training facilities, women in these Himalayan foothills have few avenues for income generation apart from agriculture.

“HARC decided to build the skills of women and girls in some handicraft to provide new income-generating opportunities in the area,” says Chhaya Kunwar, the NGO’s senior programme coordinator. “The activity selected for this was to make files, folders and wall pictures out of handmade papers and natural dried leaves and flowers, thus preserving crafts as a living heritage.”

A total of 35 women were selected at the start of the programme, comprising girls who were involved in household activities after reaching secondary or senior secondary level of school, and women not engaged in farm work.

“In our country, the full participation of women in any programme depends on the support and motivation given to them at the family level. So the family members of these girls and women were also sensitised about handicraft activity,” Kunwar adds.

The initial response was lukewarm to say the least. Like many of her peers, Indrawan’s family members used to chastise her whenever she returned home late after attending class.

“People used to jeer and pass lewd comments at me, especially if I returned home late in the evenings. They assumed the worst, while my own family would taunt me with words like ‘here she comes after a day of merrymaking’,” Indrawan recalls.

Apart from learning about design and colour combination schemes, the women were also taught techniques of collecting and drying flowers and leaves, which were then pasted on to prepared folders and files.

“Everyone changed their tune once they saw me making good money with my products,” Indrawan says.

There are currently 20 women from the programme who are fully trained in making files, folders and photo frames. Those with exceptional skill also make wall hangings.

Indeed, the women engaged in these handicraft activities say they are a fulfilled and satisfied lot. Many say the best part is that they can work at home, as and when they find the time.

For women like Madhu Pinwara, 28, of Sauli village, the handicraft training has empowered them – both in financial and social terms.

“I have no agricultural land. My husband is a driver and we tried to supplement his meagre earnings by doing menial labour,” Pinwara discloses. “But now, I earn between 1000 to 1,500 rupees (21 to 32 U.S. dollars) a month by making file covers. My children help out by gathering flowers and leaves and my status in the community has improved,” she says proudly.

On top of the training, HARC also helped the women to form a cooperative business, prepare an annual business plan for their activities, and facilitated the initial building of market linkages. Today, the women run the business all by themselves.

“Our products, especially conference folders, are in great demand by different government departments, banks, and the NGO sector,” Pinwara reveals.

Producing such eco-friendly products, which are gaining popularity in the corporate sector, earns these mountain women up to 32 dollars a month, depending on their output.

The women say their lives have been dramatically enhanced. Indrawan, for example, set aside some of her earnings and bought some land. “It is important to be economically independent,” she says.

“I have become aware of property rights and have got the land registered in my name. This has given me a new confidence in myself,” Indrawan says.