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Malavika Sharma shows a kantha-stitch stole on XLRI campus in Jamshedpur on Sunday. Picture by Bhola Prasad
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She is a leader who is a dealer in hope. She is an entrepreneur who can spin the yarn of optimism. And she is a woman who is the mainstay for women. Meet Malavika Sharma, an alumnus of XLRI, whose idea has changed 400 lives in Brambe, 30km from the state capital.
The 30-something professional from Hyderabad was holidaying at her parent’s home near Ranchi some three years ago when she was moved by the plight of rural women. A philanthropist at heart, Malavika risked a chunk of her savings to float an embroidery unit in association with Jharcraft. What started as a fledgling firm and meagre source of income for seven-odd women, today boasts more than 400 employees who make a decent living.
“While I was in Brambe in 2008, I got up close with women in the hinterland. In many cases, they were the sole breadwinners of their families and yet led a repressed life. They couldn’t do what they dreamt, they couldn’t buy what they wished and they were answerable (to male members of the family) for every little action. Their highly restricted life was absolutely unacceptable to me. I decided to help them earn more money, but above all some self-respect,” she said.
A human resource development personnel with Dr Reddy’s at that time, Malavika went back to Hyderabad, quit her job and rushed to Brambe to shape her dreams — and that of others. Born in 2008, her embroidery unit was named Avika last year.
Malavika, one of the 30 speakers at the 4th National Social Entrepreneurship Conference that ended on Sunday at XLRI, had completed a course in personnel management and industrial relations from the cradle in 2004. After six years of work experience at Wipro and Dr Reddy’s, she started her social enterprise with seven women who wanted to be as independent as her.
With an initial investment of Rs 15,000, Malavika bought T-shirts and kurtas, and her new-found friends, with some basic knowledge of kantha stitch, displayed their skills. The finished products were instant hits. From seven women to 90; from 90 to 210; and then from 210 to 400 — Malavika’s family of nimble fingers burgeoned in three years.
The entrepreneur decided to use some professional expertise. She roped in Jharcraft designers and artisans to teach her employees mirror work on dresses and needlework like kantha and gurjari. The two-month crash course did wonders. Today, Brand Avika offers 35 varieties of embroidery and markets its products through Mother Earth stores in New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. It claims credit for handmade and embroidered stoles, kantha stitch on tussar and silk saris, needlework on T-shirts and a range of junk jewellery.
“I am not a designer and so I took Jharcraft’s help to expand my manufacturing unit. It feels great to have made a difference in the lives of others. These women were earlier farm hands or ran small shops. Some made a modest living. However, working at Avika earns them the respect they had never had,” the XLRI alumnus said.
The best part is that employees at Avika can themselves decide how long they wish to work. “We have not fixed eight-hour routines at the centre. Besides, they often work from home because most of them have children to look after,” Malavika said, adding that the monthly remuneration ranged between Rs 3,000 and Rs 5,000.
Before Avika tied up with retail stores, it had started marketing its products online. They are already available on e-bay and Craftsvilla, and will soon be on the e-shelves of three more shopping websites.
Success is hers and Malavika says she had a man behind her success. “I could never have done this alone. You need moral support for risks you take in life and my husband Kiran Babu P. was that support,” she signed off.
Do you know of any woman entrepreneur? Tell ttkhand@abpmail.com
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