In 1987, when the Samiti launched its first sewing training programme for women in Bagar, the idea of rural women stepping out of their homes to learn a skill was met with scepticism. Some in the community questioned whether it was appropriate. Some families were reluctant to send their daughters. Some women themselves were uncertain.
Eleven women enrolled that first year. Today, nearly four decades later, over 2,000 women have been trained through the programme. The quiet revolution that began in a single room in Bagar has transformed the economic and social landscape of dozens of villages.
The context — rural Rajasthan in the 1980s
To understand the significance of what the Samiti undertook in 1987, it is important to understand the position of women in rural Rajasthan at that time. Female literacy in the Bagar block was estimated below 15%. Most women had never been to school. Their economic contribution — in agriculture, in animal husbandry, in household crafts — was substantial but invisible, unrecognised and unpaid.
The idea that a woman could earn her own income, independent of her husband or father, was radical. Not because women lacked the capability, but because the social structures of rural Rajasthan had been organised for generations around the assumption that a woman's place was inside the home.
The Samiti's founder, Shri L.N. Rungta, believed this was not just a social injustice but an economic waste. A community could not develop if half its population was excluded from economic participation. Women's empowerment was not a separate agenda — it was integral to the Samiti's broader mission of rural development.
The programme — how it evolved
Phase 1: Sewing and tailoring (1987-1995)
The initial programme was focused on sewing and tailoring — a skill that was culturally acceptable, required minimal capital to start, and could be practised from home. Women were provided with six months of training, a sewing machine upon completion, and ongoing support in finding customers.
The first batch of eleven women trained in a single room at the Samiti premises. By 1995, the programme had expanded to multiple batches per year, and training centres had been established in three villages outside Bagar.
Phase 2: Diversification (1995-2005)
As the programme grew, we recognised that sewing alone was not enough. Some women wanted to learn other skills. We expanded the training to include:
- Embroidery and needlework — including the traditional Shekhawati styles that were being lost as younger generations moved away from crafts
- Beauty and mehndi (henna) application — a skill with strong local demand, particularly during wedding season
- Food preservation and pickling — allowing women to create value-added products from seasonal produce
- Basic literacy and numeracy — because many of the women who enrolled had never been to school, and without basic literacy, managing a small business was nearly impossible
Phase 3: Self-help groups and microenterprise (2005-present)
The most significant shift came in the early 2000s, when we began organising trained women into self-help groups (SHGs). Each SHG consists of 10-15 women who pool their savings, provide micro-loans to each other, and collectively market their products. This transformed the programme from skills training to genuine economic empowerment.
Today, over 45 SHGs operate across the Bagar block, with a combined membership of over 600 women. They produce tailored garments, embroidered items, pickles and preserves, and handcrafted products that are sold in local markets and, increasingly, through online platforms.
What empowerment looks like
Smt. Sunita Devi was one of the first women to join an SHG in her village, Kherwas, in 2007. She had learned tailoring through the Samiti's programme but had been struggling to earn a steady income, taking in occasional mending work for neighbours.
Before the SHG, I earned maybe ₹500-600 a month. Some months, nothing. After joining the group, I took a small loan of ₹3,000 to buy a better sewing machine. Within a year, I was earning ₹3,000-4,000 a month. Today, I run a small tailoring shop with two other women. We earn ₹8,000-10,000 each per month. I pay for my children's school fees myself. My husband respects me differently. I respect myself differently. — Smt. Sunita Devi, Kherwas village
This is what empowerment looks like. It is not a slogan. It is a woman who was economically dependent becoming economically independent. It is a woman who had no voice in household decisions becoming a decision-maker. It is children watching their mother run a business and understanding that women are capable of more than what tradition has assigned them.
The road ahead
The programme has come a long way since 1987, but the road ahead is still long. We want to:
- Introduce digital literacy training — basic smartphone and computer skills that are increasingly essential for running a small business
- Expand the SHG model to more villages in the Jhunjhunu district
- Develop market linkages — connecting SHG products to larger markets beyond the local economy
- Introduce financial literacy training — helping women manage savings, loans, and investments more effectively
If you would like to support the women empowerment programme — by sponsoring a sewing machine (₹2,500), funding a training batch (₹15,000 for 15 women), or contributing to the SHG micro-loan fund — please donate here or contact us to discuss partnership opportunities.
