Losing His Sister to Poverty Drove Him to Train 4.6 Lakh Women in Tailoring for Just Re 1

After losing his sister to poverty, Selvakumar — fondly known as ‘Tailor Bro’ — has spent 18 years empowering women across Tamil Nadu. He has trained 4.6 lakh learners and helped thousands start their own tailoring businesses, all for just Re 1.

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In Tamil Nadu’s Virudhunagar district lives a man who turned his deepest personal loss into a mission that now shapes the lives of thousands of women. His name is Selvakumar, but across the state, lakhs know him simply as ‘Tailor Bro’.

For the past 18 years, he has been offering one month of tailoring training for just Re 1, helping women break free from poverty, stand on their own feet, and earn a dignified livelihood. The initiative was born out of a personal tragedy — the loss of his sister, who died by suicide after poverty left her with no way to survive.

Selvakumar, now 47, says he began this work so that no woman would ever be pushed to such despair again. Whether it is women living in poverty, women with disabilities, or trans women facing severe hardships, he has used tailoring as a tool to rebuild lives.

Because of his work, people fondly call him Anna (brother). Many also know him as Tailor Bro.

Every day, Selvakumar trains 50 women at his small shop. He also teaches many more online through his ‘Tailor Bro’ YouTube channel, which has become a lifeline for beginners across India.

A sister lost to poverty; thousands of sisters gained through purpose

Speaking to The Better India, Selvakumar shared the hardships that shaped him.

“I am from Virudhunagar. My family was my mother, an elder brother, and a younger sister. When I was a child, my father left us, and my mother supported us by doing tailoring work. From a young age, I helped her. By the time I was 16, I was working full-time as a tailor. With my income, I helped my brother study BE Mechanical Engineering, and I educated my sister till Class 12 before getting her married.”

He recalls how his sister once wanted to learn tailoring too.

“My sister often asked me to teach her tailoring. But I wanted her to go for other work or studies, so I didn’t teach her. After her marriage, her husband became addicted to alcohol, and the family fell into deep poverty. One day, suddenly, she drank poison and died. In her suicide note, she wrote about the poverty they faced and added that if she had learnt tailoring, she might have survived.”

Reading the note filled Selvakumar with guilt and pain that still stays with him.

“I felt I failed to save my own sister. That day, I decided that no woman should die because of poverty. Whether a husband leaves her or the family is poor, women should be able to earn on their own, stand on their own feet, and run their families without depending on anyone. They should have income in their hands and earn it through respectful work. That is why I teach tailoring for just one rupee.”

A one-rupee training that is changing thousands of lives

Selvakumar’s classes run from 10 am to 5 pm, six days a week. Using his own income, he provides free lunch, tea, and personal guidance to all his students.

He says, “My goal is to create one crore tailors. I train 50 women in each batch. I did not complete any fashion design course; I just completed Class 10. But I can make designs like professional fashion designers, jackets, shirts, and blouses, and I teach all these to my students.”

His impact goes well beyond training.

“For women who learn from me but struggle to open their own shop, I buy sewing machines myself. Each machine costs between Rs 22,000 and Rs 30,000. I have set up 57 shops so far, including 17 for trans women. Of the women who have trained with me, 42,000 have opened their own tailoring shops. I have documented this based on their shop inauguration invitations. Most women who come here are extremely poor. Among them, around 40% are persons with disabilities, and about 5% are men.”

A digital classroom with 1.55 million subscribers

Selvakumar’s mission grew even larger when he took his lessons online.

“My YouTube channel has over 1.55 million subscribers. With the income I receive from the channel, I conduct mass training programmes twice a month for 100–200 people in community halls. In the past 18 years, I have trained 4.6 lakh people directly. My YouTube videos have been watched by 41 lakh new viewers, so I estimate that around 40 lakh people have learned tailoring through my videos.”

This digital presence has made tailoring education accessible to women in remote villages who cannot travel or afford formal training.

“My dream is to teach tailoring to one crore women and make them financially independent. Because of this goal, I have not celebrated Diwali, Pongal, or any festival for the past 18 years. I couldn’t save my own sister, but I will guide and support all the sisters who come to learn from me. I will not let them fall.”

He adds, “My mother, Devaki, is now 68. The skill she taught me when I was young is now changing the lives of thousands. My mother, my wife, and my daughters are my support. I will not stop until I train one crore people.”

From daily struggle to financial stability: Jeevitha’s journey

One of the many women whose lives changed through Selvakumar’s programme is Jeevitha from Taramani, Chennai.

She shares, “I am married and have two sons. With no housing available, we were forced to build a small temporary hut on encroached government land. My husband is a daily-wage labourer, and because his income was low, we lived in deep poverty.”

She says learning tailoring transformed her life.

“I learned tailoring and opened my own shop with Selvakumar Anna’s help. Today, I employ two women in my shop. From living in a hut illegally, I am now living in a proper rented house. Even though my husband’s income is low, my earnings are enough to run the family and educate my children. Tailoring changed everything for me, and the reason is Anna.”

Her story mirrors thousands of others.

Selvakumar lost one sister many years ago. Today, countless sisters live with dignity because of him. They continue to lovingly call him Anna — and his mission carries on, stitch by stitch, life by life.

Women looking to learn tailoring and earn from home can start for free through Selvakumar’s Tailor Bro YouTube channel and Instagram.