Lalbiakngheti is around fifty years old, a mother of two and a fiercely Independent woman. She was the president of MHEP (a women's organisation in Mizoram) in her locality for three years and had worked for many women related issues. She still continues to be an active member but says that she concentrates more on her business now. She has a daughter and a son who are twenty two and nineteen years old. Both of them attend college, while her husband is not working. Lalbiakngheti supports the family.
         
She had taken a loan of Rs 15,000 to buy large quantities of different varieties of wool and yarn. She knits all kinds of woolens from pullovers, jumpers and fancy jackets. She also makes woolens for infants. She gets regular orders from her friends and she also displays her products in various shops that her friends own. This way her products are advertised in various areas. She smiles as she mentions that she even go to the bazaar and the mall in the city center to take pictures of fancy jackets and sweaters on her mobile. This helps her keep up with the trending fashions in the market. Most of the raw material she buys from the main market or wholesale dealers who get fancy yarns from Assam. She adds that 1 Kg of material may cost her anyway between Rs 550 - Rs. 700. She uses about 0.5 Kg to make one sweater for an adult. Depending on the design it may sell for Rs. 1000 to Rs. 2000. She works all day and may even take a week sometimes to finish an intricate design. The business helps her earn about Rs 10,000 in a month.
Lalbiakngheti plans to expand her business and adds that Rs 15,000 was just the first step. She now needs a minimum of Rs 20,000 - Rs 30,000 to buy a knitting machine which would help her knit woolens faster. She also wants to start a shop some day.
Â
