It is a time of busy cheer for SHGs as the festival season comes around.
People such as Thara and her group members work night and day for 20 days or so at a stretch during the Navarathri-Deepavali to make sweets and savouries. This self help group (Thamarai Group) near Pollachi has been engaged in this activity for five years now.
“We thought we should work at something that all us knew how to do. We sell nearly 100 kg of adhirasam a day,” says Thara. Each member earns Rs. 3,000 to Rs. 5,000 a month, depending on the orders. Besides the festivals, the group also receives orders for weddings, and family functions. It also supplies supermarkets and shops. “We make what our customers want,” she says.
Door-to-door marketing
The Thamarai women are aged between 30 and 50. They are known for their adhirasam , ladoo , mysurpa and murukku . The group members also do door-to-door marketing to take orders before the festivals. There are 12 self help groups in the panchayat and members from other groups also help during the festival season. The Thamarai group pays them Rs. 150 a day.
Leelavathi heads an SHG in Coimbatore that has 12 members. They make panchaloka jewellery. These women are from families that are traditionally into making gold jewellery making. They trained in jewellery making and started making panchaloka ornaments about two decades ago after the bomb blasts. These women take designs from the websites and come out with new designs.
The SHG that had a shop near clock tower earlier, is now located at Kottaimedu. The group travels to various cities and puts up stalls to display the jewellery. “We have the potential to register Rs. 60,000 to Rs. 70,000 sales a month if we can have a shop near the clock tower,” she says.
There are several self help groups in the district that travel with their products to to other cities and participate in expos, particularly during the festive season. Jewellery, gift articles and food products are some of the items that are in demand.
The State Government supports these groups and helps them set up stalls in colleges and participate in bazaars and exhibitions.
This creates a buzz about them and their products, says an official of Mahalir Thittam.
Jewellery, gift articles and food products
are some of the items that are in demand
