Journalism of Courage
By imparting training to rural women in fashion designing,Chaitanya and Jagnnath Rathi Guidance and Vocational Training Institute introduces them to a whole new world
Not many of those 15 women have even worn a salwar kameez,yet as they scissor through the cloth,each time learning a new term,obtain measurements or even encounter for the first time a calculator and the setsquare,its all to design a dress and with a new outlook altogether.
By attending a 10-day crash course in fashion design at the Jagnnath Rathi Guidance and Vocational Training Institute in the city,these women from Khed and Ambegaon,are exploring a new arena,very alien to their daily farming activity.
They are members of Chaitanya that helps rural women by imparting training and bringing about social awareness. It is for the first time that an initiative has been taken to get the women to an institute for imparting this knowledge.
Initiated by Sudha Kothari,managing trustee,Chaitanya and Harish Vora,trustee Chaitanya the group is primarily guided by Isabelle Ragbir,who is a voluntary worker for Chaitanya and has obtained a grant from the King Baudouin Foundation,Belgium to facilitate training of rural women. Ragbir also conducts craft and sewing classes at the Womens Resource and Training Center in Rajgurunagar.
“We had exhibited their work some months back and it earned us Rs 7000. So when I asked them what they wanted to do with the money they chose fashion designing. But getting somebody to train women in Rajgurunagar was difficult and then finally we decided to go there as well,” adds Ragbir,who has entirely advocated all the expense including their lodging in the city.
Lila Taparia,principal of the fashion design institute,willingly guides the group along with Suraj Kalekar,Arti Yeole and Tejal Shah. “We teach each one of them different designs in terms of embellishments,surface ornamentation and so on,so that they can later share these among themselves. More importantly they are taught to stitch for their own sizes with individual attention. Students,who come here to learn,are young and I always wanted to instill philanthropy in them by reaching out to the needy,this opportunity just knocked and it had an instant go ahead by our director Srikrishna Kanitkar. To see the womens interest and grasping ability is overwhelming,” adds Taparia.
Many of the women now want to earn a living through this newly acquired skill as soon as they finish the course this weekend. Echoing their excitement,Manisha Bhalerao one of the trainee says,”We used to think fashion designing is a forbidden concept for people like us but now its seems so interesting. We not only want to continue with this,but also plan to conduct courses after gaining expertise. Moreover now on,we would begin to wear salwar kameez.”
