Forming a sisterhood

‘Mujhe laga mere jaise jitne behne hai jinke pas koi income ka source nahi hai, unko bhi main sath mein jodungi.’

Ruma Devi’s visionary attitude shone through, right from the start. When her embroidery work started drawing an income, she wanted to facilitate the same for others like her. She went from home to home, motivating women to step out and take up work. She formed a group of 10 women, and together, they pooled in money to buy a sewing machine. This helped them scale up and accept bigger orders.

Reshaping mindsets

‘Gharwalo se baat karna, ados-pados kya bolenge wo sochna – ye sari cheezein side mein karke maine shuruwat ki.’

Conservative mindsets and the ‘Purdah’ system were a huge roadblock for Ruma Devi. She had to navigate restrictions herself before she could step out of the home. She then faced it in her larger community. Other households were wary of letting their women work, lest they become ‘too independent’. 

Ruma Devi kept the women’s own wishes in sight, and motivated them with her own success. The day she was able to rent an apartment for her team to work in, was a huge milestone!

Ramping up their impact

‘Fashion shows designers ka kaam hai. Yeh aapka level nahi hai. Aap jaha kaam kar rahe hai wahi aapke liye better hai.’

Ruma Devi never imagined their work had a place on fashion ramps. Finding out about heritage fashion shows was a revelation! But they were told that artisans had no business trying to get on the same level as designers.

But once the dream was in place, Ruma Devi was not ready to let it go. She and her team put together a small collection for Rajasthan Heritage Week, and showcased it on the ramp alongside renowned designers. The show ended with them receiving a standing ovation.

Going global

‘Jab Harvard se mail aaya mujhe laga main waha jake kya karungi? Mujhe toh English mein baat bhi nahi karni aati hai.’

Ruma Devi’s success at the Rajasthan Heritage Week opened new doors that took her team to the biggest fashion shows, to Kaun Banega Crorepati, and other big platforms. An email from Harvard left her shocked – that young girl who never even got to graduate from school, was being invited to speak at the renowned university!

These opportunities enabled her to train and upskill more women and grow her team. Today, the journey that she started alone is a sisterhood of 30,000+ artisans.