Climbing the rickety ladder with threads and needles

Tuhina hurriedly climbed down a wooden rickety stairs, as I entered her house which was in a middle of a gully. When I joined her in her room, she was accompanied by her brother-in-law and husband. A year back Tuhina applied for a loan of Rs 15,000 from Milaap, to expand her sewing business. A year down the line she owns and employs more than 20 people in the same sewing business. Tuhina was married young, but two years in marriage, she found her own inspiration to work and without any support started her own sewing business. She learned the art of sewing in her teenage years. With the help of the loan she bought another sewing machine which she gave out to her employees. She also bought raw materials like threads and pins. Tuhina takes bulk orders and deal mostly in making different kinds of shirts for men. Although she knows to stitch all kinds of garments, but she says, “People here do not know other works, hence I give them what to know.” Her terrace has been converted into her workshop where more 20 men are constantly moving both their hands and legs with colourful threads lying all over the floor. Her husband who previously worked as a chauffeur, on Tuhina’s insistence has taken up the business work full time, and helps in carrying the end product to Kolkata for sale.