‘Mask Didi’- A story of survival, perseverance and generosity

Jharkhand’s Ambatoli villagers are mostly small landowners. Despite heavy rainfall during the monsoon season, the land cannot be farmed on a large scale. Therefore, they had to find other sources of income. Thus Jublina Candula’small tailoring business was born.

The family started taking care of the household with the profit they earned from working on the land. It was her family’s small business that provided most of the family’s income. She and her husband worked together in their small field. According to the 45yr old though she and her husband worked hard in their small field it was not enough to meet the needs of the family. The entire household was managed by her and her husband Vimal.

Her tailoring business alone brings in about Rs 9,000 per month. The Pandemic, however, threw everything into disarray. A lockdown forced the business to close. Jublina then joined a program by the Rural Development Society for Women to learn about micro-enterprises. It was then that she realized the importance of wearing a mask. In their small village, the mask was not available. As a result, she began sewing the masks. The mask was sewn from the remaining fabric of the first garment. Initially, people were not ready to wear this mask. According to them, it could not protect them against the virus.

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Afterward, the Torpa Rural Development Society for Women raised awareness among the villagers. Jublina sewed 20 masks, paid Rs 20, and earned Rs 400. That led to more orders being received. After that, she began sewing 50 to 100 masks a day. Thus she came to be known as ‘Mask Didi’. Additionally, her husband began to help. Masks were sent to 30 nearby villages. Despite the high temperatures and rain, they walked and trekked to deliver the masks. They had to cross the hills. Today, they earn 20,000 rupees each month. Also, the couple offers free masks to students, widows, and the elderly. Additionally, women were provided with sewing training. The goal of ‘Mask Didi’ is to promote and identify women entrepreneurs.