Ordinary women- Extraordinary stories

Women are leaving an indelible mark of their own in changing times through their entrepreneurial skills. With unwavering confidence and enthusiasm, although ridden with several hurdles they face in their everyday lives, they are emerging as changemakers by engaging themselves in creativity. Over the years, navigating through difficult circumstances, the new women entrepreneurs seek to explore every possible opportunity to build their enterprise. Yet, according to the World Bank study, only seven of every 100 entrepreneurs are women. On this Women's Day, we bring you such women who wish to carry forward their entrepreneurial aspirations.

Srujana Penugonda, founder, Sru Makes, an organic and handcrafted soap designing store. Srujana, a fitness trainer, started working on this when we were all trampled by Covid-19 and confined to work from home. As she could not take classes, it enabled her to use the time effectively to develop skincare products. Sru Makes objective is to provide an eco-friendly alternative to chemical-based soaps. Our modern lifestyle exposes us to a large number of toxic chemicals. These chemicals enter our body through cosmetics and soaps, which we use every day as an essential part of our daily routine and deteriorate our body from within.

Lakshmi Haritha Bhavani, founder of ancient foods-healthy food for happy life, an organic food store with a blend of traditional recipes with trendy tastes. Lakshmi, a homepreneur, emerged as an entrepreneur and started this business with a loan from the bank, which she obtained in March 2022. She holds post-graduate degree in Electronics and worked as a manager and consultant in a solar-based company. This enterprise manufactures and supplies nutri cereal-based instant breakfast mixes, traditional snacks, cookies, masalas, pickles, dry fruits, and herbal beauty products. Lakshmi says that the main aim of ancient foods is to make our kitchens preservative-free with our ancient food products to increase the life span of the next generation by avoiding several lifestyle diseases.

She was inspired by her mother, who worked as an agricultural officer who trained farmers to promote organic farming.

Vinni M Parekh, founder, MIVISA, Diamonds for All, is a certified diamond grader, jewellery designer, gemologist, and appraiser. From rough diamonds till the end product, each piece is gold hallmarked with certification, which is internationally valid anywhere. Vinni was always passionate and wanted to have an enterprise of her own, motivated to take up this to carve out a niche for herself in the profession.

G Sailaja Kumar, founder, Prokshi, Aaj Sudhhi kiya kya… is engaged in manufacturing household and industrial cleaning products. From the selection of raw materials, processing them, packaging them, distribution, and until they sit on your shelves, the enterprise takes care of each stage. Sailaja, who strongly believes that cleaning is an act of purification, started her entrepreneurial activity in 2018. Today, her cleaning products are available in supermarkets, kirana stores, and other departmental stores.