Since 2012, USHA has established 206 Silai Schools in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, each of which is helping change the lives of women. Considering the immense talent in Kashmir, in 2018, USHA Silai Label set up a garment design and production cluster in Srinagar. The Kashmir cluster has been a game changer for the women of the valley. Today, the women have reached the city of dreams, Mumbai, to showcase their work and walk the ramp of Lakme Fashion Week 2019.
'Tailoring is a profession that will never shut down. It ensures a lifetime of earnings and I am very thankful to Rajesh Sir and Viren Sir. They taught us very well and helped us whenever we had any doubts and difficulties. What we have learned from them in 15-20 days, we couldn't learn in the last 5 years', says one of the trainees from Kashmir cluster.
'They have done a fantastic job under Rohit's guidance. What we have witnessed here today was excellent. No wonder he has actually trained and worked with these women and they have done a fantabulous job in his able guidance. It is beautiful and more than anything this was an overwhelming experience', says Gunjan Walia, TV Actor.
Kushalta Ke Kadam, an initiative by NDTV and USHA, aims at empowering women from rural India and encourages them to become entrepreneurs by taking up sewing and training others in their respective communities. Since 2011 Usha Silai Campaign has trained more than 3.95 lakh rural women within five years, with 17,000 Silai schools, spanning over 9272 Indian villages in India.
Kushalta Ke Kadam in Season 4 has returned with new goals and vision. The new season will witness the establishment of the new cluster in Kashmir, apart from the existing four clusters setup last year. The women from volatile Kashmir will work with well-known fashion designer Rohit Bal and get an unique opportunity to learn from him and make clothes for him. The work done by the Silai School women will be presented at Lakme Fashion week 2019.
While in Meghalaya, USHA taught women to stitch cloth and jute bags, an alternative to single-use plastic bags, in Delhi, visually impaired people were taught to stitch for a better livelihood
With the aim to empower women from marginalised communities, USHA Silai School has partnered with public and private sectors companies like Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Northern Coalfields Limited (NCL) and North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Limited (NEEPCO)
USHA Silai School takes their training in the north and northeastern states beyond mainstream by providing mechanical training wherein, the women learn to repair sewing machines, traditionally considered as a man's job
With the common goal of empowering women at the bottom of the pyramid, in 2018 USHA and the West Bengal government collaborated on training stitching to 3,500 women from marginalised communities, by opening another 3,500 training schools in the state, as requested by the state government
The Malayali Muslims of Lakshadweep, the tiger widows of Sundarbans and the tribals of Port Blair, women from these marginalised communities have found their purpose enriched as they feel empowered, thanks to USHA Silai School
From the harshest weather condition to struggling to meet the production deadlines, women from USHA Silai School Kashmir finally make it to Lakme Fashion week with their mentor, Fashion Designer Rohit Bahl
© Copyright NDTV Convergence Limited 2019. All rights reserved.
© Copyright NDTV Convergence Limited 2019. All rights reserved.