A Mom’s Dream

Chandralekha belongs to an economically backward class at Villupuram in Tamil Nadu. She is a mom of two daughters - Soumya and Dharani. Just like other working moms, Chandralekha works as a maid at 2- 4 households to earn sufficient money to feed her family. Her husband Viswas works as a tea seller at a bus stop near to their home.

There is nothing unique about her home. It’s a small home with just three rooms. The family doesn’t have any electronic devices to know about the world around them. They just spent their time with their work and other leisures.

Chandralekha is a bit different from other working maids. Since her childhood, she dreamed about starting up a business of her own. However her family members especially her husband don’t approve of her lofty goals which led to the major blockage in her path towards the goal.

But, destiny has other plans for her.

When the pandemic hit the country, many families suffered a lot, especially Chandralekha’s family as they could not earn sufficient money as earlier. When she came up with the idea of setting up a business, all her family members ridiculed her except her daughters.

One day, while her daughters were roaming around the streets in search of a job to aid their parents, they came across a small tailor shop. There is a big board which says free tailoring training for everyone.

Soumya, the elder sister of Dharani said,” I think it will be a great opportunity for our mom to learn tailoring as she can earn a lot more than a maid”.

“Yes sister, I agree with it. With her skills she can start up her own business as a tailor”, Dharani said.

The tailor shop is set up by Jhansi. With the onset of the pandemic, she has lost her workers which led to downfall in her business. She came up with the idea of free tailoring training for the local people, especially women.

The sisters agreed that it’s a huge opportunity for their family, especially their mom and sprinted back home and conveyed the information to their mother.

Chandralekha became excited on hearing the news brought by her children. However, she decides to engage in the training secretly. She works as a maid at random houses till midday and then attends her training during the evenings for five hours and returns home before her husband comes back.

From here on, it has become a new routine for her.

In regards to her training, her mentor Jhansi was impressed with her quick learning abilities and passion. She rewarded Chandralekha by paying Rs 20,000/- per month which is a huge amount compared to her previous earnings.

With the end of their financial struggles, the family is happy except for her husband who begins to suspect his wife on how she earns more money within a short period.

It has been a year since Chandralekha worked at a tailor shop. She has become a skillful tailor and can create new designs out of the leftover fabrics. She has gained confidence in establishing her own boutique. Moreover, Jhansi supported her goal and taught her many things related to embroidery and tailoring.

But, this beautiful journey came to a halt when Viswas found her secret job and returned home angrily.

When his wife came back from work she was surprised to see him at home. “You came home early today. Are things going well on your side?”, Chandralekha asked.

“We will talk about my business later. But, please tell me about your secret job of earning more money. Where are you going out these days and why are you hiding it from me?”

“I am helping the family to come out of the financial struggles by working as a tailor. I can earn more money than a maid makes. We can provide good education to our children and create a better lifestyle for our family.”

“I agree with you in regards to helping our family out of our financial struggles, however you need to stop the job as I don’t approve of women working outside their homes. They are meant to take care of their family. NEVER AGAIN GO BEHIND MY BACK”, he shouted.

He went to his room and closed the doors.

Chandralekha is left with tears. Nobody is there to console her. Despite her husband’s warnings, she is firm with her decision of setting up her own business.

After the incident she started making decisions on how to go ahead with her skills. Since her daughters supported her dream, she sends a message to Jhansi through them regarding the incident and her plan of establishing a tailoring boutique. Jhansi accepts her decision gladly and offers to help Chandralekha to establish her business. The duo starts to set up a new boutique near a government school which is located in the adjacent colony from the place where they live. During the setup of a boutique, Chandralekha voiced her opinions and fought against her family in pursuing her dream. Despite strong opposition from her husband and in-laws, she along with her daughters pursued the goal.

After the launch of her boutique, it stirred positive reviews among the locals and became popular within two years. Finally, she succeeded in her dreams of owning her business with the help of her daughters and coach Jhansi. Her husband and in-laws apologied about their actions and supported her.

Finally, the mother achieves her dream.