Govt’s jewellery brand helps women become self-reliant

Ranchi: The women members of the rural Self-Help Groups (Sakhi Mandal) of the Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society (JSLPS) are working to promote indigenous tribal jewellery under the “Adiva Brand”, by selling them at trade fairs and ‘saras melas’ across the country.
According to JSLPS, the Adiva Brand empowers rural women and preserves the state’s tribal jewellery heritage by connecting the state’s traditional jewellers with the larger markets with a new identity. JSLPS has been promoting women by involving them in a variety of activities through capacity building and making them earn their livelihoods and it has intensified efforts to offer dedicated markets to the jewellers. Currently, 15 SHGs are associated with the Adiva Brand and over 150 women have benefited from it, the society said. Sharing their experiences, the tribal women artisans said earlier, they used to make ornamental items daily but were deprived of the right market and exposure.
Talking to TOI, Yashoda Devi, a 32-year-old artisan from Khunti, said, “I have only studied till matriculation and was looking for a job to support my family. I got to know about the Sakhi Mandal and joined it in 2016. I learned how to make jewellery and now that earning from selling them. It has helped me to enrol my kids in an English-medium school.”
Yashoda is a mother of two and her husband has also joined in making the tribal jewellery. They sell their products at the market and various fairs. Talking about the exposure she got from the JSLPS, Yashoda said, “Previously, we would sell our products in a weekly market but now we have the opportunity to exhibit them in various fairs across the country. In the last six months, I sold the items at the Patna Saras Mela in September and the Delhi trade fair in November. The saras melas and national markets have increased our presence and reach.”
Incidentally, Dumka will host the saras mela from December 10 to December 20 and will feature around 200 stalls with 28 SHG products. With silver and other metal jewellery ranging from Rs 150 to Rs 20,000, the assortment to be displayed will include tribal bracelets, chains, bangles and earrings among others.
Arjana Jadupatiya, an artisan from Dumka, said, “I have been a member of our SHG since 2019 and since then, we have participated in numerous fairs, including the saras mela and the Diwali mela. In March this year, we take part in a trade show in Kerala, where our sale proceeds are around Rs 75,000.” “We inherited our craft and we have only sold in the wholesale market. With the assistance of the SHG and JSLPS, we can sell it at fairs and earn as much as double the price for the same item. The items that we previously sold for Rs 50 in the wholesale market are now being sold for Rs 100 under the Adiva Brand.”