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Silai Superstars Shine: Usha Silai School's Honored Trailblazers
Team NDTV | Updated: February 16, 2026 16:48 IST
New Delhi:
Odisha's Mirjapur sun warms Suchismita Sahu's home-turned-hub, where 86 women have learned self-employment under her watchful eye. A 42-year-old homemaker in Bhadrak's Tihidi block, she joined Usha-SIDBI Swavalamban via Gram Utthan's 9-day training, receiving machine, board, kit. "From housewife to identity," she reflects, now Local Resource Person for 25 schools, Mission Shakti TCPC co-founder, ORMAS/PM Vishwakarma-certified trainer across districts—₹11,100 monthly fueling her engineer's education. Challenges melted: Usha's trainings honed her; Gram Utthan's Guru Prasad Mohanty praises home-tailored balance, teaching kin. Bijaynanda Dash, Usha coordinator, recalls 2020 selection: "Her style, enthusiasm shone; now statewide master trainer." Suchismita's greatest win? Sparking rural women's enterprises. Awards—Lakhpati Didi, RCT—cement her superstar status, proving recognition reignites grit.
Scholar-Entrepreneur's Ascent
Rajasthan's Baran dust settles on Preeti Prajapat's Satellite Silai School, where B.A. to M.A. bloomed amid trials. Post-10th struggles—family woes, no earning—Usha's training ignited passion. "No interest pre-Satellite," she admits, "but trainer urged: teach even one." Mother's support, Unnayan Samiti's guidance scaled her: trainer, LRP mobilizing women, FTF-I Stree Fellow for leadership. Shaadi torture, village taunts? "Mummy said: you're right, do it." Mohan Lal marvels: "Struggles forged her—from 10th grader to masters, innovator bridging NGO gaps, aiding 50+." Computer-fluent, she manages MIS, online meets—₹ steady, inspiring idleness to enterprise. "Usha gave platform," Preeti says of Bangalore immersion. Her journey: education, endurance, elevation.
Manipuri Maverick's Triumph
Manipur's Imphal hums with Akhirun's enterprise, ₹40,000-₹50,000 monthly from a school birthed amid mockery. Father unstable, brother gone, she shouldered parents, three sisters—discriminated, dream-driven. People's Development Society's Usha training: 9 days to machine, certificate, boldness. "No machine affordance before," she shares, now designer par excellence. Defying jeers—"What'll you become?"—mother urged: "Do your heart's work." Students adore: Sabera learned free 2 months, home-earning; Anjali praises finesse; Ghazala her heart. Awards cascade: 2022 MLA Sheikh Noorul Hassan honor; 2023 Minister Govindas Konthoujam cash; October VCPC certificate. Thokchom Biramangol Singh lauds enthusiasm; professor credits BPL trainings spawning entrepreneurs.
Accolades Ignite Legacies
Kushalta Ke Kadam spotlights these icons: Suchismita's state trainings, Preeti's fellowships, Akhirun's workshops (silk screen at ATDC). Usha's ecosystem—partners like Gram Utthan, Unnayan—nurtures: from learners to LRPs, TCPCs, icons. Mohan Lal: "Junoon overcomes." Suchismita: "Built identity, self-employed sisters." Preeti: "Change post-training." Akhirun's mother: "Proud she showed them.” Their wins cascade: communities mentored, families funded, traditions elevated. Awards—district to state—fuel: higher fees, bulk gigs, expansions. In Odisha's fields, Rajasthan's sands, Manipur's vibrance, they prove: skill + support = superstars. Lifting lakhs indirectly, they embody Usha's vow: empower one, transform all. Celebrate, salute these Silai Superstars—India's beacons of change.
Published: February 16, 2026 16:47 IST
Team NDTV | Monday February 16, 2026Odisha's Suchismita Sahu, Rajasthan's Preeti Prajapat, Manipur's Akhirun—Usha Silai School's Kushalta Ke Kadam celebrates these awardees, from homemakers to master trainers earning accolades
- Team NDTV | Thursday February 12, 2026
From Ladakh peaks to Assam fringes, Usha Silai School trains tribal women in Turtuk, Kargil & Dakhinkuchi—crafting livelihoods with armed forces, NHPC & NGOs. Stitching national resilience
- Team NDTV | Thursday January 29, 2026
From West Bengal's transgender tailors to Telangana's tribal seamstresses and Meghalaya's embroidery revivalists, Usha Silai School's Kushalta Ke Kadam partners with NIRDPR and state governments
- Team NDTV | Tuesday February 03, 2026
In Odisha's mining heartlands, Mahanadi Coalfields Limited teams with Usha Silai School's Kushalta Ke Kadam and Gram Utthan, empowering tribal women turning them into entrepreneurs
Do you want to be a part of the huge change that Usha Silai School is bringing about in the lives of millions of rural women? With just a simple click of a button, you can now contribute towards the opening of an Usha Silai School or support various other aspects of the school.
Kushalta Ke Kadam, an initiative by USHA Silai School and NDTV has entered its eighth season. The aim is to empower more women across rural India by teaching them sewing skills and helping them open new doors of opportunities for themselves. The initiative encourages rural women to become financially independent and entrepreneurs by taking up sewing and training others in their respective communities.
Since 2011, the USHA Silai School initiative has trained more than 12 lakh rural women through over 33,000 Silai schools, spanning over 20,751 villages across India.
The women earn Rs. 4,000 – 5,000 per month on an average, with the highest recorded monthly earning being Rs. 84,000 in a month. This earning works as a catalyst towards building their self-confidence, reducing gender inequities, and raising their stature within their families and in society at large.
Kushalta ke Kadam: Aiming for Independence Through Stitching
Rebari girls grow up learning traditional embroidery, which along with their new found sewing skills developed at Usha Silai Schools, is helping them earn a living.
Usha Silai School has empowered many rural women to support their family and send their children to school.
The Usha Silai School, established in a small nondescript village that goes by the name of Kottai, is helping empower people from varied communities.
The all-inclusive Usha Silai School Programme covers the entire nation from hamlets tucked between hills to villages cast by the sea.
Vegetables farmers from the Mizoram hills earn very little given the topography of the area. Usha Silai Schools have played an important part in this region by skilling women to financially contribute towards their households.
Usha Silai School learner Lucy has trained seven other women in her community, helping them to become financially independent.
Women like Kaviben from the nomadic Rebari community are finally laying down their roots as they begin to gain financial independence and thereby stability through Usha Silai School.
Usha Silai School, located in the Gujarat's Bhuj village, is enabling rural women to earn as much as Rs. 2,500-4,000 each month.
Usha Silai School, in association with a Gujarat based NGO called Kala Raksha, is trying to bring about a Silai revolution in Bhuj.
Besides training other women from their community, many Usha Silai School learners have become entrepreneurs in their own right.
With sewing becoming easily accessible and lucrative, the silai schools are also helping revive traditional motifs and designs.