Mahila Jagruti, exhibition by Home Entrepreneurs for Home Entrepreneurs kicks off

100 exhibitors, all most all of them home makers turned entrepreneurs who started their entrepreneurial journey from home

Hyderabad, July 19, 2019: Mahila Jagruti, a 3day exhibition by Home Entrepreneurs for Home Entrepreneurs kicked off here in the city at Tilak Road Abids at Abids Function Hall.

Amrit Kumar Jain, a social worker, Ramesh Kumar Kala inaugurated the exhibition by cutting the ribbon.

Organized by Mahila Jagruthi, this NGO is founded by two likeminded friends Sangeeta Bhutada and Meenakshi Kasliwal 22 years ago. The exhibition is being organized uninterruptedly for 19years at the same Venue.

100 exhibitors, all most all of them Home Makers turned entrepreneurs who started their entrepreneurial journey from home while taking care of family and children exhibited their products. Most of these stall were put up by the same women who have been participating for many years in the exhibition.

Some of the products on display include Fruits and Vegetable powders and flakes by Staples, a Company set up by Teacher turned HomePreneur Vijaya Kulkarni. She has showcased first of its kind of powders and flakes of vegetables and fruits. She exhibited powders of all fruits and vegetables, onions, carrot including curd powder, Cheese Powder, Tamarind Powder, Tulsi/Lemon/Ginger Powder, Onion Flakes, Carrot Flakes. A single mother, she set up a unit with an investment of Rs.50000. In the last three months since she set up her venture, she sold little over 10,000 sachets of the same. These are homemade, scientifically dehydrated and are free from chemicals and preservatives. If you can’t go to a vegetable market and buy vegetables, still you can cook curries at home with these powders and flakes. So also the fruits she says. What is so surprising is a curd powder. Now people have become more mobile. And on their travel, if they want a butter milk/ curd to be made they can do so by using the powder says Vijaya Kulkarni.

These fruit powders can be used for Smoothies, Milk Shakes, Cakes, Ice-Creams and Desserts. Vegetable powders can be used for Soups, Gravies, Garnishings and Parathas, she says

Another HomePreneur is Suntha from Miralam Mandi. She is a soap maker. She makes 32 different varieties of soaps. They include Rice Soap, Papaya, Lemon, Mint, Charcoal, Honey soaps. I have learnt of soap making from a post on Facebook. These soaps are sold in the price range of Rs 70/- to 100/-. She sold little 1000 units of soaps from her home. Her husband Naveen who runs a Koran’s shop helps her in her endeavour. I want to increase the range and varieties, says Sunitha. All these soaps are chemical free and natural. Works well on the skin, says Sunitha Tandon mother of two children

Asha Agarwal and Neha Agarwal, mother and daughter duo exhibited handcrafted Rakhi’s, illuminating Rakhis, designer rakhis and homemade chocolates. They have been carrying out their home venture for the past 15years. Our hobby turned our business they say. We are not doing for money, but pursuing our passion, they claim.

Soul Handcraft a small venture floated by Anjana and her husband Bhim. They showcased beautiful handcrafted wall hangings of bicycles, scooter and motor cycles. They were so attractive that anybody would like to buy them.

Durga of Durga Collections a mother of two grown up children is a specialist in hair accessories. She has been a homepreneur for the past 11years.

Aruna from Maharaj Gunj is an accessories specialist. She is fond of making designer saree bags. The response to them is overwhelming. Her husband Kamal who is into printing helps her pursue her entrepreneurial journey.

Unlike many other exhibitions, this one is different. 90 per cent of exhibitors are home entrepreneurs and they are women/home makers. It is the exhibition of women who despite of being Home Makers, also taken additional responsibility of HomePreneurs(Home Entrepreneurs) to support their families. It is an exhibition of women self entrepreneurs, who just work from home and who otherwise don’t have larger platform to promote their products and services.

Mahila Jagruti is a Non-Profit Organization set up 22 years back by two Rajasthani Home Makers—Sangeeta Bhutada and Meena Ksilwal. They provide exhibition space at a very affordable cost to enable HomePreneurs to come forward and showcase their creations, products to larger audience. They also help poor women HomePreneurs by providing free exhibition space.