Kashmir: 60-yr-old stitching together the dreams of a thousand young girls

Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], September 1 : Having grown up without the opportunity of receiving a formal education, Zamruda Bano's community spirit ensured that she would protect others from the same helplessness.
Hailing from the Kulgam district in South Kashmir, Bano is an excellent artisan, and a nurturing soul -- and has paved the way for herself -- as well as over a thousand young girls in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir to gain employment.
Bano learnt the art of crewel embroidery (a type of surface embroidery using wool) in her childhood, and she incorporates this art to create household articles for use. The 60-year-old mother of three has not allowed any hardship to stand in her way of success, and her success is set apart by her determination to share it with others.
Working since 1991 after her marriage, Zamruda has managed to set up well over 200 centres across the Union Territory, that collectively employ more than a thousand women. Women in the region continue to live within the bounds of conventional society and are traditionally expected to limit themselves to the role of overseeing the family and the household.
Education is often hard to come by, both for financial and social reasons, further diminishing the prospects of a formal career. Despite the social and political constraints in place, young women here do not shy away from working hard for what they deserve.
Recognizing the resolve of the region, coupled with the changing social scenario of the country, special emphasis is being placed on female education in the region, with the help of various government schemes, both at the central and local levels.
The UT administration has helped enrol 1.65 lakh students in schools with the "Aao School Chalein" campaign; another 1.24 lakh have been enrolled under the Early Childhood Care Education, while 2000 new kindergartens are set to be established in the near future; enrolment levels for education have taken an upturn, with increased participation from female students.
The reorganization of the state into a Union Territory in 2019 has allowed the law of the Right to Education to finally be implemented in the region. Bano's journey to self-empowerment was riddled with its fair share of obstacles at the time, but the current climate has become much more favourable for female employment.
"After learning the art, I did not limit it to myself. Instead, I taught it to more women who had very few avenues available to earn an income. I saw so many girls in our village sitting idle at their homes and facing financial constraints,", says Bano.
The ethos of the people is being supported significantly by government schemes being put in place for the development of the citizens, especially in rural areas. Financial aid from the government is steadily pouring into the region, with figures showing that Rs. 997.91 crores has been released to women in the Territory since 2014, under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana National Rural Livelihoods Mission.
With over 70 pc of the population of J&K residing in rural villages, commendable efforts have been made to create opportunities for income which cater to the conditions people live in. The Jammu and Kashmir Khadi and Village Industries Board chairperson, Hina Shafi, speaking at an awareness programme for women in Kathua, called for women to step up to contribute to making the country self-reliant while announcing two new skill development programmes, tailored for women.
Similarly, other government ventures are also aiming to provide women with work they can adapt to easily. The Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) is in its 5th phase of setting up 300 new stitching schools across Union Territories. So far, SIDBI's 3-year-old initiative, in partnership with Usha International Limited (UIL), has touched the lives of near about 3000 women- resulting in cumulative earnings amounting to Rs. 12.47 crore4 .
The centres of embroidery run by Bano are organized in a way that 10-15 women work at a centre collectively, and the local nature of the setup allows them to continue running normally even in times of crisis or harsh weather conditions.
Bano's venture drums up a handsome amount of Rs. 10-15 lakhs a month, the larger part of which is disbursed to the employees. She also confidently reports handling the business's finances all by herself, a commendable feat given that financial literacy is not very common in rural areas.
Authorities have also endeavoured to tackle this problem in the region, with the Jammu and Kashmir Bank has organized over a thousand camps to educate about financial literacy and services available to provide aid for economic development in self-employment ventures.
Zamruda's quest for self-sufficiency has made her an avid advocate for women at large to pursue the same goals of self-dependence; she believes more women should start their own ventures to generate employment for others as well.
The government reports that 5.2 lakh jobs have been created by way of self-employment schemes in the union territory and that over 29,000 recruitments have been made in the public sector since 2019. With continued efforts of the government being partnered with the grit and determination of the people, the day of J&K emerging as a leader in women empowerment and entrepreneurship is not far.