Chatra women take up carpentry, supply furniture to other dists

Chatra: Several

women

from Ichak Khurd village in Chatra have started making furniture, and by doing so they have ventured into a domain long considered to be a male preserve. The village is a part of the Simaria block, which is a rebel-hit area. The women were given training in making furniture by the Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society (JSLPS), an arm of the state rural development department.

Many of the women said their husbands didn’t like the idea at first. But undaunted by the negative reaction, a group of 10 women not only took the training but also procured bank loans to set up the business.

One of the women, Sharda Devi, said, “We have become atma-nirbhar now. We are supplying furniture to other districts and are being able to make out a decent living.” She added that her husband no longer objects to her work. Bajida Khatoon said, “We have proved the critics wrong by being able to do this work successfully.”

Block development officer Amit Kumar Mishra also lauded the efforts of these women and asked people to cooperate with them. I visited their workshop and saw them making furniture. It’s a big achievement to supply furniture to other districts.