Swavalamban – Standing on their own Feet Ramman Devi, Village Bhaisaudi, Sarnath, Varanasi

Winner of Hindustan Times Special Women Award 2012

The Ramman devi, 65 year, a member of SHG is not just a name in her village but she is the great business leader who has strong vision and positive attitude with social ethics. She is the budding entrepreneur in the Bhaisaudi village she joined the laxmi SHG in many years back when her major profession of weaving was totally devastated and her family was suffering from the huge financial crisis. She has 2 sons and three daughters, her eldest daughter was married to a greedy man and after few years his husband threw him away for the sake of money. During this tense situation she did not loose her nerve and as we say an “idea can change your life” with the assistance of Education To Sustainability project and her SHG she commenced the work of making plastic bottles which is used in filling of wet limestone.

These limestone bottles were used in tobacco industry traditionally named as “ khayni” which is much popular in Varanasi

She installed her first machine 7 years back and make 1 kg of plastic bottles per day  by working 10 -12 hrs per day, her family work very hard for years , but she was always  aware about the education of her children, she regularly send their young ones to schools because she believed that education can put an extra input for running a successful business .During the course of five years she installed six machines , 3 in her house and 11 has been given to other persons of her neighboring village, she says that she is not doing only business she have to help the other persons of village and other villages because it is social obligation of an entrepreneur .She is earning Rs 500 per day on a machine ,she gives full wages to other members according their village. She says that all these can become possible due to courage of Ramman Devi. Because what she have learnt and cultivated from the Self Help Groups, she used as a weapon and  make the way for herself and society.