A rural woman’s ‘toy story’ towards success

As I reach Indra’s shop in Sadhuwali, a small hamlet in Sri Ganganagar district of Rajasthan, I see vibrant activity. I cannot help but smile at how this scene contrasted with my first visit, when she and a few women were quietly stitching clothes for baby Krishna idols. 

The first time I entered her shop with a team from my office, she offered us the chairs, as she and her friends shifted to the floor. When I chose to sit among them, they were shocked as if I had done something unacceptable. 

This was my first lesson in the agency that women in self-help groups (SHGs) held – a clear hierarchy at play; the staff had a presumed sense of benevolence and superiority in front of the so-called ‘uneducated women’.

But the women showed me what they were capable of, with just a little hand holding.

Getting trained by chance

Indra, a 39-year-old mother of two, has no formal education. She was married at 13, like most girls in her locality. Working in a gas agency, her husband earned around Rs 150 on a good day. The family of six survived on a monthly income of less than Rs 5,000. Abject poverty forced Indra to explore ways to earn. 

During our first interaction, she shared how a visit to the panchayat samiti to get a mistake on the ration card corrected led her to a handicraft training programme. 

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For someone like Indra who had never attended school, the training programme felt like a wild card entry into the world of education. She talked of watching her trainer, a rural woman like herself, speaking confidently and instructing even the male staff, which was a rare sight for Indra. 

Hearing Indra talk about the trainer in such high regard, I realised how inspiring strong women role models could be.  

After the training, she never missed an opportunity to participate in any programme, even if it meant a mini rebellion at home. She also received training in stitching clothes and making soft toys. However, it yielded no substantial outcome. The only thing Indra had to show for her training was a crudely made fur monkey, sitting on a shelf.

The idea of convergence

As fellows, in our initial orientation programmes, ‘convergence’ was a buzzword we came across frequently. Departments and programmes that work in silos often end up like the monkey in Indra’s shop – shelved. 

The best thing about working with the district administration was leveraging the power of convergence. We got to know about an ongoing anganwadi project, for which toys were to be procured. 

Knowing Indra and her team’s entrepreneurial spirit, I proposed to the administration to give them the opportunity. Government departments can procure products from SHGs up to a certain cost without tendering.

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With a refresher course in toy making, these women were ready to take up the job. 

An entrepreneurial awakening

What transpired next was like a montage in movies – Indra or her team riding pillion on my scooter to toy shops; grown women in awe of the aesthetic designs of branded soft toys. 

The visits to these showrooms impacted them greatly as they also saw soft toys being sold at high prices. I could see the spark in their eyes. 

“Would our toys sell if we make similar designs?,” they asked.  

I showed them new designs and characters from popular kids’ shows. They came up with their own names and pronunciations for them – Peppa Pig became Pappu and unicorns became ‘gulabi seeng ala ghoda’ (horse with a pink horn). They had a great laugh about it each time. They had decided that they would not let lack of education and exposure get in the way of their success.

Soft toys: From stitches to shipments

After furnishing their first order to the administration, they wanted more. The lionesses of Sadhuwali had tasted blood which meant validation and agency to leave their houses, work and contribute to the household income. 

Each step brought them joy and empowerment – seeing reels of their products that a social media marketing agency volunteered to make, getting orders on social media, setting up stalls at fairs or entering the post office for the first time and learning how to ship a package. 

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Indra still keeps the receipt of her first shipment in her purse as a souvenir. She wants to open a store in Sri Ganganagar city.

While Indra may not meet the eligibility criteria to become a trainer at a government-run training centre, she visits schools and colleges to train the youth. In a way, she has become the person who inspired her. 

Ordinary people, extraordinary achievements

In the brief association I had with the women of Sadhuwali, I took home several lessons about governance, empowerment and agency. 

As I look back, I am reminded of the happiness these women got from things that would be considered normal for a lot of other people. This was the first time I saw someone get so excited to stand in a queue. 

I see them sharing reels to promote their products, and being so jubilant at the sight of their hard work and struggle being captured on camera. Every time I see their stories on messaging apps, I think of them stitching their toys, and their laughter with the nicknames, and I feel that their success after tears and struggles deserve to be seen so they can be role models.

SHGs are a powerful vehicle of change. While programmes provide training and financial support, the concept of agency remains neglected. 

At a time when corporate giants have captured the market and the popularity of local products is declining, Indra has become a rural entrepreneur. Indra, who led a hand-to-mouth life once, now earns Rs 30,000 per month and employs 12 women. Similar is the story of her friends. 

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While Indra still prefers to sit on the floor when the officers visit, she isn’t so surprised anymore when I join her. And neither is she hesitant in joyfully telling me about her adventures to the post offices, fairs and local markets. For her, the road goes only upwards and onwards from here.

The lead image at the top shows Indra and her team with Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot at Sakhi Sammelan, Jaipur. (Photo by Nisha Sharma) 

Nisha Sharma is working as a Mahatma Gandhi National Fellow under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship in Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan. She is also pursuing a certificate course in public policy and management from IIM Udaipur.