Weaving a livelihood

Restarting an old hobby not only brought out the artiste in S. Sathya, but also helped her family ride out a difficult phase. In April last year, Sholinganallur resident Sathya lost her job as a nursery worker. With her son Pughazhendhi’s mobile, she watched online tutorials on basket-weaving, a skill she had picked up at school and she was learning all over again.

In no time, she learnt how to make customised wire baskets in three to four days. The bag-making skills helped her make ends meet.

“I would have sold 40 bags in five months and earned around ₹6,000 which is not bad considering my limited networking skills,” says Sathya, who also works as a cook.

Many of her orders were facilitated through Meera Rajagopalan, resident of a gated community in Sholinganallur.

“Meera madam has been shipping the orders for me and I know some have even gone to Coimbatore, Mumbai and a few other cities,” she says.

Sathya is clear she cannot go back to working in the garden as her health does not permit her to do so and is keen to explore more opportunities with her new-found skill.

Her baskets are priced from ₹200 onwards. Sathya can be contacted at 9841592480.