If you are familiar with Indian History, stories of brave women saving their countries and rising to be epitomes of inspiration aren’t new. The values of determination, strong will power and self-respect have long been associated with women.
If some of you thought that these stories of valor are passé, then you need to simply look around. Even today, the same woman commands that respect – maybe not by winning forts or saving her kingdom, but in her own way in her own small world – her household. The same woman still represents courage and will power that she has long been associated with.
Some time back,
Alka Dutta from
HT reported a small step taken by
Kiran Devi, a woman entrepreneur who has her own junk selling business in the backward areas of Patna, Bihar.
So what is so different about her? Incidentally, Kiran Devi is one of the
three women entrepreneurs, who are quoted as examples in the interactive mathematics books, prescribed to Class IV students who would be taught through her examples. Published in
Maths-magic, by
NCERT, the story on Kiran, “
Junk Seller” talks about how tough and unprivileged her childhood was, and how she fought the challenges, and started a business of her own – a business, which was commonly mocked at, by the public, a business that was started to support the family financially, a business – that, today, has risen to make her independent and one of the most respected women in her community.
Speaking about her life, she says she studied up to class VIII. After she lost her father in an accident, she was forced to give up studies and get married. Married to a tea stall owner who lived in a hut, she decided to start her own business to supplement the family income. She thought of starting a bangle or tailor shop. But her uncle’s idea to open a junk shop caught her fancy. In 2001, Kiran and her mother-in-law started off with a bank loan of Rs 8,000. And ‘Kiran Sumitra Kabari ki Dukan was born. “People laughed and teased us, branding it a dirty business, but I knew this idea would work,” she claims.
Her faith proved her right and today, Kiran has a house with all the comforts — a fridge, television and gas stove. She sends her daughter, brother-in-law and sister-in-law to school. She has, however, not stopped at owning a junk shop and now owns nine rickshaws, which she rents out for Rs 20 a day. “On Sundays I do not take any money from the rickshaw-pullers,” she says.
Thanks Alka for the wonderful piece!
No wonder Kiran was also chosen as the face of UNICEF’s Girl Star Project to create awareness on education for the girl child in Bihar.
A small step that Kiran took – a determination to start something of her own, against public impression, and ignoring common perception – and a will power to make it succeed – has made a difference to the very self-confidence a woman in the interior of the country seeks. Maybe, the story of Kiran would just excite the millions of Kiran Devis guarding their Households, and making a difference.
And to make that, we all know, they do not have to win fortresses or save kingdoms.
They just need to take a few small steps….
How do you know what you can contribute? Simple! There is a workout card that you can create for yourself - check where you can save CO2 emission and help create a cooler planet (I pledged 0.678 tonnes!) 
Some of these steps are as simple as using shower instead of a bath, switching off the power switch if not being used, avoiding standby modes for your comps/TVs, avoiding high power lights and many more.