JOIN USMaking them truly independent
Krishna Bisht was born and brought up in the sylvan, scenic Kumaon Valley of the Himalayas. For a woman hailing from a verdant, but socio-economically difficult landscape, she received excellent education: Not only did she do an MA in Hindi from the Gujarat University in Ahmedabad, she also went through several graduate study programmes during her youth.
Having finished her education and returned home, she was shocked to see that the lives of women in her beautiful valley hadn’t changed one bit – it was fraught with misery and poverty.
Women in the hills worked hard and gave birth to children repeatedly, resulting in a vicious circle of never-ending hardship. “It is common in the hills,” she says, “for women to work in the forests and take care of homes, while children and men smoke and drink, squandering time and money around the village bazaar. The plight of the women who are illiterate and unskilled is pitiable, to say the least.”
Moved and shaken
Shocked by the sorry state of affairs and concerned about the women of Kumaon, Krishna sincerely wanted to do something to better their quality of life. Thus was born her vision to empower them in a creative and simple manner. She founded a non-government organisation called Mahila Haat in the year 1979 to train these women. The principal aim of the NGO was to increase the employment rate among the women so that they could have a steady income.
This NGO has been strengthening marginalised women by providing skill development training to them. It was conceived as a facilitation centre for poor women artisans, who faced common problems such as lack of marketing support, quality control issues, inadequate wages, difficulties in raw material procurement and other logistical problems.
This venture grew fast and brilliantly because of Krishna’s foresight and effort. So much so, that this year, Mahila Haat was chosen for the Jankidevi Bajaj Puraskar for Rural
Entrepreneurship 2014 for outstanding contribution towards the upliftment and employment of poor women in rural India. “Knitting warm sweaters and garments has been the traditional profession of these women. They would sell these garments during the winter in their area and even go over to Tibet to earn money.
Then in 1962, Tibet was taken over by China and this market was lost. Also, they had no concept of design, embellishments and sizing of clothes. So I worked with the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad and persuaded them to allow ten women from our villages to be trained in designing and marketing.
They graciously agreed. These ten trainees came back equipped with some great insights and knowledge and trained hundreds of women in this art until all achieved an acceptable marketing standard. We provided marketing support and promoted solidarity among the women by organising them in Self Help Groups (SHGs).”
Against all odds
Krishna also worked as the principal resource person for a study on Impact of Mining in the Himalayas. Soon, she received a prestigious award from the Indian Development Foundation in December 2010 for women’s empowerment and conservation of the mountain environment. The award recognises women entrepreneurs for their extraordinary and outstanding entrepreneurial excellence in rural India. It focuses on discovering and honouring the women entrepreneurs who are dedicated towards rural upliftment and business entrepreneurship.
Krishna Bisht’s Mahila Haat has contributed in promoting education for women and children in the Kumaon valley. She persuaded parents, elders and women, going from house to house, to accept education as a tool for the future of mountain communities, laying the emphasis on girl children. Together, the villagers have also developed a library named ‘Shiksha Sansadhan Kendra’ in Almora.
Krishna truly symbolises the spirit of the modern Indian woman. She fought against all odds and brought new opportunities to rural women and made them self-reliant and independent. She has helped many women achieve their dreams, aiding them to become complete and contented, while thinking and acting freely in their society. She is, undoubtedly, a woman of substance.