Zatluangi, the group leader of her group, which was named after her; stitches beautiful mosquito nets made of laces, nets,decorative items and embroidered patterns. She also stitches curtains but prefers mosquito nets. She says that mosquito nets fetch her better profits but need more time, effort and creativity to make.
She took a loan of Rs 20,000 in June to expand her tailoring business. She bought materials for stitching curtains and mosquito nets from the entire money. She need to stock up materials so that more designs, colors and patterns could be selected by her clients.Sometimes the clients get their own materials and most of the times she provides for every item that is needed for a design. Zatluangi also uses different kinds of sewing machines which are need for different patterns. She borrows them from her friends in the neighborhood. This adds considerably to her costs. She says that these machines cost around Rs. 18,000 and she soon wants another loan to buy them. Her curtains sell of Rs 300 or more depending on the design and mosquito nets for around Rs. 3000. She estimates that she roughly earns around Rs 9,000 - Rs. 10,000 in a month.
Zatluangi lives with her daughter who is 9 years old and her husband who works as a driver in the police department. She works throughout the day after her husband leaves for work around 9 in the morning. She says that her earnings have considerably increased after she started stocking materials for curtains and mosquito nets. Last month she bought a music system from the profits that she earned. Other members of the group are engaged in tailoring, managing poultry and selling clothes
