Bhagwatiben was responsible for the family animals, and was urged to earn; so after fifth grade she left school and learned
embroidery from her sister. Today, she works with Kala Raksha. Quick and skilled, she was the third highest earner in suf
embroidery in 2002. Embroidery has taken her to Kala Raksha exhibitions in Delhi, Chennai and Ahmedabad. Through exposure
she has learned what customers like, Bhagwatiben says, and she has learned to use Hindi. In Kala Raksha classes, Bhagwatiben really
learned the Gujarati literacy she didn’t get at school, and even a little English.
Bhagwatiben never wastes any time. When she is not working to earn she is working on her trousseau. “Trousseau work has doubled,
as the world has opened,” Bhagwatiben reflects. “It is our desire rather than any social demand. We young women like new designs
and items must change with the times!” As for dreams, everyone has many, but Bhagwatiben reveals that she’d like to learn tailoring
and computer skills.
Bhagwatiben has served
as a mentor at Kala Raksha Vidhyalaya and was a design intern at Kala Raksha in
2009, funded by COMO Foundation. |