Her wire bag business gives her a modest lifestyle

Banana groves and groundnut plants filled the landscape, leading to the village of M. Puthur in Thottiyam. It was a pleasant Thursday morning and I was travelling to this village to meet Sathya Rajalingam, a Milaap borrower who had sought a loan to start a wire bag business. As I neared Sathya’s home, I noticed that her house was under construction and a paint job was pending. She had just finished her lunch and sat down with me to have a chat. Sathya is part of The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005, with 100 days of guaranteed employment in a financial year. Her husband is opening a candy shop in Thottiyam soon and the couple has three young children. With an aim to add to her coolie income, Sathya chose to stitch wire bags and sell them. She is the leader of a Joint Liability Group comprising five members, three of whom are in masala powder business and two in wire bag trade. 

Sathya has been in business for more than a year. Every day, she finishes her coolie work, household chores, and then sits down to make the bags. She tries to spend at least two hours making bags as it relaxes her. “After a hard day’s work, stitching wire bags is a great de-stressor,” she grinned. “I ensure that I work on the bags every day at least for an hour. This way, I make 4-5 bags a week.” She mostly makes medium-sized bags, for which there is a continuous demand as school kids find it perfect for carrying their lunches. She also makes a few large-sized bags, which are used in the farmer’s market. The former costs around Rs. 25-30 while the latter costs Rs. 50. 

Sathya buys the wire for her bags from Trichy, twice a month. A bundle of wire costs her Rs. 600 and it lasts for 6-7 bags. She makes at least 25 bags a month and her husband takes care of the sales part. The farmer’s market at M.Puthur takes place every Tuesday and he goes there to sell her handmade bags. Apart from this, Sathya manages to sell a few bags to her neighbours, friends, and a few people from her network. “I earn a monthly income of Rs. 2000 from this, helping me lead a modest life,” Sathya asserted. “I will have more time to invest in this trade once my kids grow up. I’m eager to learn the art of making nylon bags as well and reach a wider audience.”

I appreciated her zest and enthusiasm in wanting to take her business forward. I requested for a picture with her wire bag and she happily obliged.