The housewife sitting in front of the laptop calls out to her husband in an obviously excited voice, ‘Bhaskar, our first order.’ The husband runs towards the screen, as if he cannot believe what he has heard. His new chutney business has received its first online order. The scene is from the popular advertisement ‘Reddy vs Retirement’ shown during the IPL that concluded yesterday, in which a retired couple starts a business with the help of AI. This technology makes everything from label and packaging design to websites that promote products. This advertisement sends a strong message that it is never too late to start something new and contribute financially to the family. But eight years ago, Manisha Kambate, 30, from Baramati, Maharashtra, had no AI tools to design labels and build websites. Nevertheless, she built a successful business of spices and pickles, which generated a turnover of approximately Rs 1 crore in the financial year 2024-25. Born in a farmer family, Manisha lost her father at an early age. Despite this, he studied well and completed his education till tenth standard. But social expectations had decided another path for him. Before she could pursue her ambitions, she got married and moved to Purandar, 322 km from her hometown. The new life began in a joint family of 17 members, where all financial decisions were taken by the eldest member of the family. Be it Rs 100 or Rs 1, permission was required for every expenditure. The younger members of the family had little economic freedom. Manisha felt most sad when she could not give even a little money to buy chocolates or snacks for her three school-going children. These moments strengthened his resolve to achieve economic self-reliance. Since she herself had seen many missed opportunities, she wanted her two daughters and son to have better options in life. Like many rural families, his family also prepared spices for the year before the monsoon. Manisha had a natural talent in mixing spices and her spices started becoming popular due to their special taste. Initially, rural women used to provide them raw material and they started earning Rs 30 per kilogram for grinding and mixing spices. The turning point of her life came when a nationalized bank organized spice production training for 35 women. By participating in this, Manisha learned the basics of business and started selling her products in the village. His journey was not easy. Family and neighbors started questioning his decision to devote time to business instead of farming and domestic responsibilities. Many people even predicted his failure. But he decided not to argue. During the day she performed the responsibilities of a daughter-in-law and at night she used to prepare pickles and spices. Her real success came when she joined a women’s self-help group under the Umaid campaign of the Maharashtra State Rural Livelihood Mission. Through this group, she took a small loan, purchased equipment and started selling products in local fairs. It received an encouraging response. When demand increased, he took more loans, expanded his business and provided employment to 20 women. Today his enterprise produces 2 tonnes of pickles and 200 kg of spices every eight days. The business is fully registered, adheres to food safety standards and has all the necessary certifications. However, the most satisfactory achievement is not the turnover figures. Both his daughters are now graduates and his son is studying in class 11th. The economic freedom they were seeking for themselves was transformed into educational opportunities for their future generations. The bottom line is that if you educate a daughter, she not only raises her own standard of living but also creates a more educated, confident and financially secure future for the entire family.
Source link
N. Raghuraman’s Column: Educated daughter educates and financially secures the entire next generation
