Basu

Basu's husband’s job as an agricultural labourer had not been a good source of income for her family, so when two girls from her village, Beragada, suggested to Basu that she work for Kumbaya, she decided to join. Despite her desire to stitch, Basu faced many initial challenges when she started working at the bhawan. She received taunts from in-laws, family members, and other villagers when she first started leaving home to stitch, making it extremely difficult to want to continue working. She took to Pushpa Didi’s suggestions to ask her husband to join and move from her village, and so after five years they moved to Ratatalai and started working. With this shift and with unending support from the bhawan, Basu was able to overcome the sadness she had faced. Now, Basu and her husband have found stability and gained skills by stitching, cutting, ironing, and folding for Kumbaya , with which they have been able to support the education of their children. Basu’s greatest personal achievement is the strength she gets from her independence and skillfulness despite being illiterate.