The second edition of News18 SheShakti on Monday celebrated the trailblazing women propelling India to the global forefront. Under the theme “Breaking Barriers”, this year’s event shone the light on how women are redefining success and driving transformative change.
As part of the summit, Nitika Gupta, founder of Pine Cone, and Pabiben Rabari, founder of Pabiben.com, shared their views on saving the dying arts and crafts of India, being entrepreneurs, and paving their own path.
Gupta, while explaining her work, said: “At Pine Cone, we work on revival of traditional Indian crafts. In every 100 kilometres of India, the tea, food, culture, and art changes. There are some crafts that are dying a slow death every year because they don’t have relevance in today’s modern lifestyle or there are not many people left to do it in the authentic form.”
Taking about consumer behaviour, Gupta said there had been a complete shift, especially since Covid-19. “People want to know who is making their product, in what condition it is being made, and that’s where Pine Cone stepped in.”
Tracing her roots, Pabiben Rabari said: “Men in our community are cattle herders while women are homemakers and also do embroidery. I am the first businesswoman in my community. Our women do embroidery but for themselves and to take in their dowry.”
Recalling her difficult journey, Rabari said she lost her father when she was just five. “My younger sister was 3 years old and my mother was pregnant. When my sister was born, our family was disheartened as they had hoped for a son. This upset me. When I saw NGOs and people coming to buy embroidery, I wanted to get into the business but had no one to guide me.”
However, she was not one to stop. Rabari, crediting her husband for her success, said he was the one to support her dream. As the audience broke into a thunderous applause, Rabari said her husband asked her to do something for the women of the village so that they could earn their livelihood without leaving their homes.
“I was uneducated but that did not stop me. I observed how other artisans marketed their products. Some had a visiting card, while others had an established brand. So, I decided to set up a small website. From Instagram to Facebook, we used technology to the fullest. I didn’t have much money when I started out so I couldn’t advertise much. I started this business with Rs 25,000 and today I have a turnover of over Rs 50 lakh.”
Gupta, who hails from Jammu, rued that the crafts were always overlooked for those of the Valley. “When I went to Gujarat for my degree in design, I realised there was a big contrast. There is zero documentation of our arts and crafts in Jammu. There are no archives. Pabbiben is a great example of the artisans reaching out. However, many artisans I worked with have no idea of markets or the scope of such crafts. One of my long-term goals is to make artisans self-sufficient.”
Speaking about her goals in the future, Rabari said she was aware that she had inspired many women to recognise their talents. “On one hand, women in the village feel they are not worthy of anything. However, those who are educated look down upon certain jobs. I just want to say ki ‘koi kaam chhota nahi hai’ [no job is small]. I had never thought I would reach Shark Tank or KBC but here I am. Women look at me and think if I can do business, so can they. I wish to see more women become entrepreneurs.”
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