Razia Sultan never looked forward to a government job. Instead, she chose to pursue her passion for handicraft and created her success story. Now, she has set up a successful Crewel Embroidery Chain Stitch Unit at Trehgam Village of Kupwara in Jammu and Kashmir where she is making a living for herself and the other women working in the unit. She also provides training to other girls in the village.
“My father passed away in 2012 and I was left with no one to provide for my family. In 2013, the Department of Handicrafts at Kupwara set up a Crewel Primary Training Centre at my village Trehgam, and I along with the other village girls were registered for the course at a monthly rate of Rs 500,” said Razia, the daughter of Muhammad Sultan Sheikh.
“The initial training course had the duration of one year and owing to the good response from the trainees, the batch was put to advanced training for two more years against a monthly stipend of Rs 700,” she added.
The love for the craft made Razia take up the role of a crafts instructor at a crewel centre at the age of 19 years against a monthly salary of Rs 2,000. She said this money in 2017 meant a lot for her and her family, and her joy doubled as she was doing something she loved.
In the meantime, Razia was honoured with a State Level Award by the handicrafts department in crewel craft in 2018, which fuelled her passion for crewel embroidery. Around the same time, the Government of Jammu and Kashmir announced the ‘Karkhandar’ scheme wherein the meritorious pass-outs are given advanced training regarding the design and marketing, and the ‘Karkhana’ of Razia was covered under the scheme for a period of six months. Taking the benefit of this scheme, he made 285 metres crewel cloth and produced 236 crewel embroidered cushion covers. She said during the last five months, she got a revenue of Rs 1,60,000 for her crewel work. Besides, she has established her successful entrepreneurial venture and is earning around Rs 60,000 to Rs 70,000 per month. Razia has trained more than 200 girls so far.
She believes that every woman should become financially independent which will make them more self-reliant and boost their confidence.
The girl from Kupwara suggests that women should come forward and start their ventures to generate employment and earn profit simultaneously and become job providers not job seekers.