Samastipur: Raipur’s Durga Devi was living her life as a simple homemaker until she realized her true potential. She observed her parents-in-law making lacquer bangles and learned the skills from them. This creative work revitalized her spirits and she felt inspired to begin working as a bangle maker. People around her often demotivated her and were unsettled with the idea of her working as an independent person. After years of dedicated work, today, Durga is known as a self-made successful woman. 

Climbing the ladder of success

Durga started making lac bangles and informed the nearby shopkeepers about them. Her products were well received by the customers at these shops, and the number of orders started increasing. Gradually, Durga’s income doubled which enabled her to support her household financially. 

Increasing demand for products

Durga makes two or three types of bangles made of lacquer. These bangles are of excellent quality due to which they are always in high demand. Notably, she crafts all the bangles herself without any assistance from anyone. These intricately designed bangles can be worn on all occasions and are widely loved by Indian women. 

A day’s labour

Initially, Durga could only make a handful of lac bangles in a day. She was just starting to learn this craft and it took much time to adapt to her new workload. Presently, she makes about a 100 pair of bangles in a day all while taking care of her household. For the last 20 years, she has been engaged with the same work.

Durga’s one pair of bangles cost around Rs 25. If we do the maths, she makes around Rs 2,500 for a 100 pair of bangles in a day; and approximately Rs 75,000 in a month.