The Story Behind: Self-Independence is my secret to Happiness!

''Behind every successful woman, is someone who believes in her, who has the confidence that she can achieve her dreams. That person is HERSELF!''

I am Jyothi and I was born in Rudraram, Telangana, but I now live in Golappaly with my husband and three children attending primary and middle schools. My parents were supportive of my education until high school, but then discouraged me from continuing my education. I've always wanted to study and achieve personal excellence since I was a kid. My primary school math teacher served as a role model for me, and I went on to earn my intermediate diploma from a government junior college in math, physics, and chemistry. I wanted to pursue an undergraduate degree, but only an open degree course was available in the MPC (Math Physics Chemistry) stream.

I had to leave that in the mid-way because I was married off, and this decision fell to my in-laws, as it often does in patriarchal societies, eventually putting an end to my dreams of pursuing education. Even then, I never gave up and worked hard to improve myself, refusing to let my circumstances prevent me from pursuing various professions over the years. I learned computers by enrolling in a course in the pursuit of getting a job. My village had a local bank that required me to pay 30 thousand rupees in exchange for a job, which I accepted and worked at for six years until the bank closed down.

This was my entry point into becoming an independent entrepreneur. My reasoning skills helped me observe the women in the village that had to travel to the city to buy personal care items or pieces of jewelry. "It ran well for five years, and customers would come to buy ornaments, which made me very happy." My life irrevocably changed when my family's financial situation forced us to relocate to the outskirts of Chintal, where I couldn't continue running my shop. Again, I had no say in the matter, but that didn't stop me from looking for other opportunities. For three months, I participated in an SBI training programme and learned maggam work, and was able to record the sale of embroidered clothes among my family and friends.

When one of my family members approached me with a job opportunity to stitch rice bags for their mill, I immediately accepted it and came up with the brilliant idea of stitching cloth bags in my spare time because the government had banned plastic bags. What I admire most about myself is that I always made it a point to never give up and keep trying, no matter what. Even when I was denied the ability to make major life decisions, even in the face of an uncertain, ever-changing economic climate, I was persistent to seek out opportunities and grow.

Maybe I have a fighting spirit and a good business sense. My life, like that of most women in marginalized communities, was expected to revolve around my home, husband, and children. As a result, my creativity and business sense went unacknowledged and underappreciated for so long that when the NSFI team pointed out to me that I have these talents, I began to cry with realizations. In my heart, I always wanted to reopen the bangle store with new services, but I didn't know how because no one ever asked me what I wanted or offered to help. My financial situation and self-esteem had also suffered as a result of the pandemic, and this is when I decided to join hands with NSFI.

NSFI is now assisting me in establishing a ladies emporium store in my village, in collaboration with Sumalatha, another benefactor, by raising funds, procuring inventory, and assisting in the development of a business plan. When asked what advice I would give to other women entrepreneurs like myself, I only have one advice. Every woman who is unemployed should learn a skill or trade. We live in a world dominated by materialistic needs, making autonomy increasingly important. Every individual, for that matter, should be able to attend to their personal expenses in order to maintain a good standard of living. As we continue on our entrepreneurial journey together, I hope to inspire many more women.