To make ends meet, Lalthanpari does many businesses in one go

Lalthanpari, a mother of two, deals in clothes, vegetables,miscellaneous items and also runs a tailoring business to make ends meet. She took a loan for Rs. 15,000 to invest in her business for dealing in clothes. She buys finished clothes from a wholesale dealer who gets them from China. She then sells them herself and distributes a large portion to suppliers for sales in Aizawl and other small towns of Mizoram. Her wholesale dealer visits China six times in a year to get the stock. This is shared between her and one more dealer. The loan helped her take new stock. When she doesn't have enough cash to pay upfront for the stock, she has to buy this material on debt. This makes things difficult for her business.

Lalthanpari, often sells vegetables in the market. That fetches her around Rs 700 per day. She also takes orders for stitching clothes for women and kids. She says that it is important for her to juggle between businesses to earn enough for her family. Her husband works in the construction business and his income is unpredictable. Lalthanpari manages the household independently. Her son is twelve years old and her daughter is fourteen.