Insha Mir, a journalism graduate, made a name for herself as an entrepreneur when she created Kashmir’s first organic fibre apparel company.
Today, Insha is a role model for tens of thousands of Kashmiri men and women. Women have long played secondary roles in society compared to men. Women like Insha, however, are blazing a trail forward for young female entrepreneurs in the country.
Insha is but one example of the growth story of Indian women who are playing an instrumental role in further bolstering ‘Brand India’.
Hundreds of miles away in Surat city, in the country’s western state of Gujarat, many women entered into textile and apparel industries.
Women in Gujarat wear many hats, from company leaders to designers to store proprietors. “Textile is a very wider sector, in each and every field women have made remarkable work done, whether it is teaching, architecture and in all sectors so why not in textile? We can go a very good way to develop a lot”, said Karishma Dinesh Dhankani, Director, Reaghan Fashions Pvt Ltd.
“In 2019, I started a women empowerment project. Where 72 women will be working all together. Right now we have 23-25 women working with us, and the number of women will increase very soon. Within all my designs you will see a reflection of the Gujarati culture”, said Rachna Kapadia, Entrepreneur and Designer, Rangvesh.
It is not just the textile industry or any other industry that has shown positive trends of women’s increasing labour force participation. Women’s diversified roles and contributions have expanded dramatically across all sectors.
From high-end corporate offices in Mumbai to a mall in Gurugram to the farmlands of Punjab and Haryana; women have not only entered the workforce but are taking on leadership roles as well.
India, once dubbed a conservative society, is seeing women emerging as leaders in finance, technology, manufacturing, health, and many other sectors. (ANI)