The wave of covid-19 paralyzed life in India in 2020, life was at a standstill, and educational institutions were closed. It was a big blow to millions of daily wage workers. Workers and students returned to their homes in villages.
Stuck at home, without work, and without any means to earn, many found themselves staring in the dark. But some discovered their entrepreneurial qualities. Two sisters confined in Chandur village of Hyderabad were an exception that decided to make the most of the opportunity. They hailed from a family of handloom weavers specializing in weaving Pochampalli ikats, a type of handwoven saree. The sisters Ashwini and Harini knew the craft from childhood but never practiced it.
They wanted to find high-paying jobs in big cities. Ashwini graduated a few years back and had her dream fulfilled when she landed a job with a multinational company in Hyderabad, while her younger sister just got out of medical college, fulfilling her dream of becoming a doctor.
With time in hand and mind less distracted, they could look at their parents’ work more closely, appreciating the extraordinary skills they possessed and the efforts they made for very little gain. Suddenly, during the pandemic as we slowed down and took note, we saw the value and the worth of their efforts and skills,” said Ashwini, who now heads the family’s handloom business, with the brand name Chenetha Ikats.
As the pandemic peaked and the orders dried up due to the closure of businesses and transport networks, the sisters got thinking. “My father is a master artisan and he managed dozens of looms with the help of weavers, guiding them in design and providing them with regular work. But, in the pandemic, there was no way to deliver the pending orders, nor were we getting new orders. So, dozens of families were stuck with no income. That’s when we thought we should intervene,” added Ashwini, who is currently the link between the village and the outer world.
In the times of pandemic, social media was the only link to the outside world for most people. As young girls both the siblings were well-versed with the Internet. Both the tech-savvy engineer Ashwini and her sister Dr. Harini took a plunge.
They decided to create a page on Instagram and shared some snaps regularly. Soon they started getting inquiries and slowly they got into business. This not only helped them sustain their family business during the pandemic but also helped several families who were depending on the new orders for work.
Two Indian-educated sisters established a sari brand during Covid
