Asha Tailor
Community Resource Person for Enterprise Promotion (CRP-EP), Prerana Micro Enterprise Consultant Group – Block Resource Centre (Enterprise Promotion), Kekri Tehsil, Ajmer, Rajasthan
The story of Asha Tailor may resonate with hundreds of CRPs-EP all over India. It is their story of a shared journey, a vision and their life transforming experience with Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP). SVEP implementation in Kekri by Rajasthan Grameen Aajeevika Vikas Parishad (RGAVP) commenced in 2016 with Kudumbashree NRO as its partner for mentoring and technical support. Asha, a humble housewife and a post-graduate from Kadera village of Ajmer was inspired by the idea of SVEP and joined the programme in early 2016 as a CRP-EP in Kekri BRC. After undergoing a rigorous training under the programme, Asha had a new-found purpose in life which was otherwise confined to the thresholds of her house and neighbourhood despite being highly educated.
Asha’s education and skills were instrumental in her success as a CRP-EP as she excelled in all aspects of a demanding multifaceted role expected out of one. Most remarkable is the fact that she is most driven by her vision; to educate and promote rural entrepreneurship among the youth and thereby enable the next generation to recognise entrepreneurship as a dignified and sustainable source of livelihood. She always persuades SHG women to encourage job-seekers in their family to start a micro enterprise.
“People do not realize the importance of rural entrepreneurship. They fail to see the potential it has in terms of supplementing
their family income, that too without much difficulty.
I strongly believe that the foundations of a rural entrepreneurship culture can be laid only if the next generation i
s convinced that a government or a white collar job is not the only option in front of them. They need to be taught that being
an entrepreneur is equally dignified.
Whenever an SHG woman approach me for starting her own enterprise I first check if she has a job-seeking daughter
or a son and urge them to take up the business idea. And when I speak to them about how liberating
it is to be a successful entrepreneur, the successful enterprise which I started with SVEP support gives me a lot of confidence.”
-Asha Tailor
Asha Tailor’s family formerly relied on stitching flags and garlands on demand for the occasional festivals in a nearby temple. Deciding to lead by example, she transformed her irregular and poorly managed family business to a full-fledged shop which caters to the seasonal demand for stitched products for temple rituals. By bringing in efficiencies in raw material procurement and marketing, her family today earns Rs. 3,14,420 per annum from the enterprise. Her successful business today inspires confidence in her entrepreneurs. Till date, Asha has supported 140 micro enterprises in Kekri block. She has also played a significant role in the successful market facilitation efforts by Prerana MEC Group in Kekri and in the special enterprise interventions like stitched household products from recycled clothes. Through her service in the BRC and to the community, she earns Rs. 16,052 per month on an average.
Asha always keep her focus on the long term goals that she sets for herself. She recently bought a two-wheeler so that she can work more efficiently by overcoming the disadvantage of poor transport facilities in the villages. She understands that her journey is a continuous learning process and in the short to medium term she dreams of diversifying and strengthening her services by learning new skills like market and bank linkages, registration and licensing, product development and marketing, etc.
And her journey has just begun.