SUCCESS STORY - MAKING SILK THREAD JEWELRY AS A LIVELIHOODS OPPORTUNITY

In the trends of modern fashionable jewelry, the art of silk thread has its own separate identity. Silk Thread jewelry has now taken the place of gold and silver among College, University and office goers. From sari to top-jeans can be easily adapted. Easy to wear also there is no difficulty in taking care. In this life of haste, this jewelry seems to fit a lot.

This is the story of a housewife, a mother and an ASRLM Self Help Group member who has adopted this trend as a livelihoods opportunity. She is now successfully selling her art while inspiring others to follow her path. Mrs. Baby Pandit who is a member of Saraswati Self Help Group of Tupkhana Gaon Panchayat under BMMU Silchar, once completely occupied with her daily household works. But even the packed days and meeting every household work did not drive her away from her dream of making jewelry that would resemble traditional Indian designs, yet be much more inexpensive and light weight to wear and appeal to the audience.

Initially, she started designing bangles and necklace to match her own sarees for which she had received phenomenal response from her villagers. After a lot of experimentation, practice and research, she decided to take this to the next level.

Baby Pandit focuses on the unique selling point of her jewelry, which are customized and light weight designs. She tries her best to make her designs as innovative and exclusive. She creates the entire pieces single handed by wrapping fine quality silk threads around plastic moulds which she sources from wholesalers. The price is affordable. The price of necklace with earrings is from 150 to 1,500 rupees and the price of bangles made of Silk Thread is from 50 to 200 rupees. In addition to it, Mrs. Pandit makes cement flowerpot using towels or clothes which are extremely beautiful and alluring to look it. In this way Mrs. Pandit earns Rs. 5000-6000 per month, and the same exceeds Rs. 10,000 in season time.

Mrs. Pandit is a role model to the other women as a whole as she never let her dreams to die; she is not confined to four walls of her house. She has tried to redefine her life. Seeing her, the rest of her SHG members also get training from her and get involved in all these activities.