Stitches Of Healing: How Usha Silai School Turns Trauma Into Triumph Across India's Hills

In Nagaland's misty hills, Sukla Dey transformed years of family abuse and suicidal despair into unyielding strength through Usha Silai School. Starting with one machine in 2018, she stitched garments that declared her survival, reducing mental stress by immersing in constant preparation and training.

Now a Gold Award winner at Gurugram's India Style Fashion Show in 2024, Sukla trains hundreds across Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, and Nagaland, turning sewing into therapy that silences pain and builds fearless identity.

From voiceless victim to celebrated designer, Sukla's journey proves needles mend more than fabric-they heal spirits and forge community tapestries of hope.

In Hanumakonda's Kowkonda village, Chukka Madhavi escaped ?150-200 daily farm labor and her husband's alcoholism via Sarvodaya Youth Organisation and Usha Silai School. Free training, machine, and repair skills turned her into a confident trainer of ten women, earning ?600-?1,000 daily.

Her success inspired her husband's sobriety; together they bought an auto rickshaw, stabilizing their home while she covers loans, education, and leads with pride.

Usha's support-from certification to NGO mentoring-elevated Madhavi from silent suffering to role model, where stitches heal emotional wounds and teaching fosters connection. Studies affirm such creativity reduces depression, mirroring her journey from struggle to sanctuary.

In Assam's remote Kokrajhar forests, widow Rabina Bala Rabha endured poverty, stigma, and isolation after losing her husband, worrying endlessly over her son's future. Usha Silai School training rewove her sorrow into purpose, with each stitch quieting her mind and embracing the machine as her lifeline.

Now running her own Silai School, Rabina earns dignity, teaches others, and commands respect as "Madam," turning community shunning into admiration through persistent skill and perseverance.

The once-lost Rabha found God's path in tailoring, rebuilding life stitch by stitch amid Mushaljhara's hills, proving dignity reclaims itself when opportunity meets courage. Her story echoes how creative focus heals trauma, fostering self-worth beyond income.