Stitching - From Being A Hobby To A Source Of Livelihood

48-year-old Diparani Payung, from the Mising tribe in Assam sought to find liberation through her favourite childhood activity - <i>Silai</i> (sewing). <i>Silai</i> may seem like a mechanical task to many, but for Diparani it was a hobby. At 13 years of age, she started to stitch skirts and frocks by running several experiments on her sister’s sewing machine. She stitched paper due to the lack of cloth, and gradually attempted making frocks. Little did she know that later in life, she would upskill 36 girls in what she considered her hobby.