Spice of Life: Women’s march from vermicelli to victory

One particular story from my early days in Panchkula stands out as a testament to the transformative power of financial empowerment for women facing domestic abuse, writes Rekha Sharma

Indian women have unmatched tenacity. As chairperson of the National Commission for Women (NCW), I have spearheaded several initiatives for empowering women. However, one particular story from my early days in Panchkula stands out as a testament to the transformative power of financial empowerment for women facing domestic abuse.

By providing opportunities for financial empowerment, we can unlock this potential and pave the way for a brighter, equitable future for all. It is important to encourage women from a very young age to earn their own financial independence so that they can save themselves from the horrors of abusive relationships, writes Rekha Sharma (Shutterstock)

I was running an NGO in Panchkula in 1995. On one of my visits to a nearby village, I encountered a group of women trapped in abusive marital relationships, where their husbands controlled the financial resources, leaving them powerless and vulnerable. The meagre earning of the men of the family was consumed in alcohol, leaving the women without any resources to live a life of dignity. Determined to help them break free from this cycle of abuse, I proposed a simple yet innovative solution: Handmade vermicelli.

It is one of the most common household items that mothers prepare in the kitchen with the precision of rolling it with their hands. Though there are machines that are producing finer products in the market, there is a different kind of emotion in eating something homemade, I think machines can never replace that emotion.

With just 10kg of maida (refined wheat flour) and a vision for change, I went into the village, Rampur Thadon, and encouraged the women to start hand rolling vermicelli at home. Despite the initial hesitation, the women embraced the idea, recognising it as an opportunity to take control of their finances. It was also an activity for them to come together and learn to compete. Now that the vermicelli was ready, I entrusted two women the task of sealing the plastic packet with a heating sealer that I borrowed from a local karyana shop to provide hygienic packaging and helped distribute the vermicelli to local stores, naming the brand Mamta as an ode to my mother’s maternal strength and resilience.

However, my entrepreneurial venture was soon met with scepticism from some quarters. A fancy store owner in Chandigarh even made a disparaging remark about my financial situation saying, “I pity the condition of your house that you have to do all this.” Undeterred, I used the comment as fuel to drive my mission forward.

Returning to the women with 50kg of flour this time, my persistence paid off as the vermicelli business flourished. Not only did it provide a source of income for the women, but it also gave them a newfound sense of independence and industry. With the profits earned, they could now afford basic necessities for themselves and their children, breaking free from the shackles of financial dependence of abusive partners. I was now delivering flour in a tractor and getting the manufactured product in a mini truck; this continued for a substantial period till another NGO took the mission forward to make it a small-scale business.

This story always serves as a powerful reminder of the untapped potential that lies within women across the country. By providing opportunities for financial empowerment, we can unlock this potential and pave the way for a brighter, equitable future for all. It is important to encourage women from a very young age to earn their own financial independence so that they can save themselves from the horrors of abusive relationships.

The writer is chairperson, National Commission for Women.