Weavers

Anshul Malhotra, who helms her father’s handloom business Krishna Wools, talks about how she helps women in Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi earn a stable living through weaving, and how she fought archaic notions to keep this tradition alive.

The Indian Ethnic Co was started by Hetal Desai and Lekhinee Desai with an investment of Rs 50,000. Today, they make an annual revenue of over Rs 15 crore.

Janhavi Kulkarni founded KaleNale to popularise ‘khun’, a fabric that contains both silk and cotton. Her efforts have led to orders from Switzerland, Germany, US and more.

Nand Kishore Chaudhary recalls his journey of establishing Jaipur Rugs, manufacturer of hand-knotted rugs and carpets, and how he overcame several odds to empower women who were considered ‘untouchable’, helping them earn better through weaving.

The Weaver Resource Bridge helped nine award-winning master weavers, including a Banarasi and a Pashmina weaver sell their work online during COVID-19.

Malsawmi was a homemaker until she decided to start ‘Zo Weave’, selling the traditional handwoven ‘Puak Puan’ and ‘Puan’.

What makes mothers such great entrepreneurs? We guess it has something to do with years of practicing patience, multi-tasking, and knowing how to make the most of every spare minute! #WomenEntrepreneurs

The end goal will always be to improve the quality of life for children and parents,” says mum and designer Navdeep Kaur.

“Whatsapp has most certainly eased the way I do business and it being free and having no message limit, have all been great plus points.”

Odesh is taking the craft a step forward by training artisans to make different items, other than the traditional mat, from Kauna.