More than 500 trained in areas of sorting, setting stones and polishing jewellery that sells in high street

Shahina Begum might have studied only up to class 10 from a local school in Krishnagiri. Today, she sits on the board of a company that crafts jewellery lined up in showrooms in Bangalore.

Well trained in basic accounting, cash-book maintenance, Tally and elementary computers, Shahina manages to make a cool Rs10,000 every month – a far cry from her existence years ago, when getting a decent meal was hard for her family that depended on occasional work as labourers.

Shahina persuaded her parents to allow her to join Meadow, a small private company that trained local women in crafting gold and diamond jewellery. Here, she not just acquired jewellery-making skills, but also accounting and computer knowledge.

Starting at a monthly Rs2,000, she gradually worked her way up, and “now I am able to support my brother’s education,” she says.

Like Shahina, over 500 women from around Hosur are engaged in various aspects of jewellery making, including waxing, stone sorting, stone setting, polishing and so on.

While some start with an income of Rs4,000 per month, others end up earning as much as Rs11,000-13,000 with experience.

“It is satisfying to know that the jewellery we had worked on is sold through showrooms in places like Bangalore by well-known brands,” says Manju, who handles a team of 50 women, whose roles involve diamond setting and quality inspection.

What was earlier a male dominated sector with karigars from North India using their skills to craft out attractive rings, bracelets, earrings and necklaces, now empowers women from poor households with little education.

“We had to convince the gram panchayats to send the women, give them technical training, and then deploy them,” says G Suresh, CEO, Meadow.

Incorporated in 1998 with 24 women, Meadow today functions like any other private company, complete with a board of directors, an executive committee, accounts department and shareholders. But unlike other companies, most of the 511 employees of Meadow, like Begum and Manju, are women.

“Women in rural areas have hardly any job opportunities.

Many are school drop-outs. Initially they made chapathis for Titan employees. We felt if their skills are upgraded, they could do well with jewellery,” says Elangovan A, manager, studded outsourcing, Titan jewellery, that has outsourced part of the jewellery making to these women.

Recently, a delegation from South Africa visited the women at Meadow, says Suresh. “They are now planning to adopt the concept in their country.”

source: http://www.dnaindia.com / DNA / Home> Bangalore> Report / by Priyanka Golikeri / Place:Bangalore, Agency:DNA / Wednesday – August 21st, 2013

…a story that’s truly inspirational

 Mysore :

She started doing what anybody does for a living out of no muse but mere necessity. But today, her story can be nothing short of an inspiration to many. Having gotten into something that probably not many women would venture, she has proved that a woman can do anything, if only she has a will to do so.

Thirteen years ago, city’s K.S.Geethashree Rao began her career as a sales and marketing manager for undergarments at a leading branded inner-wear industry in city. With time she did her best to increase the sales of the products of the company and even ensured that Mysore did the 2nd highest sales. However, as the sales increased, the company slowly started dictating terms and ignored Geethashree, although it was because of her hard work that the company gained good profit.

It was then that she decided to quit her job and start an undergarments retail unit of her own – ‘Sugeeth’ in the year 2004. She herself took up the responsibility of sales and marketing for Sugeeth. And today, as a result, her company is doing well, with a total turnover of Rs. 3,00,000 a year.

Talking about the difficulties faced in the field initially, Geethashree explains, “In 2004 I set up my own retail unit, marketing undergarments of different brands in the city. Being a woman, it was no easy job roaming around places from shop to shop, marketing the products. Most companies prefer men to do the marketing job as it is too laborious. But I kept all the inhibitions aside and decided to prove my worth in the area.”

“While on job at the previous company, I had faced all kinds of hurdles like running around shops to take orders and distribute products myself since we wouldn’t find enough labourers to do so and at times, even ended up stepping into Police Stations and court several times to fight bounced cheques. All such incidents thoroughly ascertained me into the field of marketing even before I started my own unit”, she said.

However, “all this can be possible for a woman only when she is willing to come out of her comfort zone, take risks and face all odds that come her way, be it any business, making it successful is no easy task. One has to sacrifice all her desires, but at the same time, also make sure that she has enough time to spend with her family and also take care of personal life,” opines Geetha.

“My children were little too when I started working, but I made sure that I finished my work, and reached home by 5 pm, so that I could help them with their studies and also spend some quality time with them,” said Geetha.

“Today, after thirteen years, I have accomplished my goals, settled and contented, I have now stopped marketing rigorously as I have my own set of customers and have also started taking stitching orders. All of this would have not been possible without the support of my husband and my two sons,”said a proud Geetha.

Her store is located at Jayanagar. —AN

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / August 30th, 2013