These women weavers from Purnia region received praise in PM's Mann ki Baat
The women of the Adarsh Jeevika Mahila Mulberry Production Group cultivate silk yarn from cocoons and weave silk sarees for the high-end market.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his monthly radio show Mann Ki Baat on February 23 praised the efforts of a women’s self-help group in Purnia, Bihar. The Adarsh Jeevika Mahila Mulberry Production Group is a women’s mulberry production co-operative that has been set up with the assistance of the state government.
“In particular our sisters, mothers of new India are grasping challenges thus setting a pace for a positive transformation in society. Purnia region in Bihar is an inspiration for people across the country,” he said.
Women from the district cultivate mulberry trees, grow silk worms on them, prepare silk yarns from the cocoons and then weave silk sarees for the high end market. Earlier, they were just involved in selling the silk cocoons to purchasers who would cultivate silk yarns and turn them into high profits.
Now, these women are not only preparing silk yarns but their sarees are sold for thousands of rupees.
The women of the group are fondly called didis.
“The ‘didis’ of Adarsh Jeevika Mahila Mulberry Production Group have achieved something that can be called ‘kamaal’. Its impact is being felt in other villages, too,” PM Modi said, adding: “Several farmers and ‘didis’ are now not only getting silk sarees woven, but are selling them from stalls in big fairs.”
The women sell their weaves at big fairs in various states across the country. The Prime Minister met these women at last week’s Delhi Hunar Haat, a 10-day fair that was organised by the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs to provide recognition to traditional arts and crafts. He said that the exceptional story of the women pulled him to the stall.
He lauded the women for taking up farming in an area that has seen been affected by floods several times, and as recently as 2016.
“This is the same region that has faced the calamity of floods for centuries. In such a situation, mustering resources for income by way of farming and other avenues has been a very difficult proposition. But, some women from Purnia charted out a different path.”
He also celebrated the achievement of 12-year-old Kamya Karthikeyan, who became the youngest girl to summit Mt Aconcagua, the highest peak in South America earlier this month.
(Edited by Rekha Balakrishnan)
