Gujarat : 10 years after MADNESS
Meet Three Women From Small-Town Gujarat, Who Lost Everything In The 2002 Riots, But Went On To Become The Breadwinners Of Their Families
Yasmin Vohra could easily have given up on her dream of becoming an entrepreneur after her small shop of knickknacks and home in Prantij were set on fire in the 2002 post-Godhra riots. The shop had been set up in 1999 with a small loan of Rs 14,000 from International Centre for Entrepreneurship Career and Development (ICECD) to support her family’s meagre income.The riots took all she had, but she never lost hope.
Today, a decade later, Yasmin has picked up the pieces of her life again and is reborn as a bigger entrepreneur. With another Rs 15,000 from ICECD, she set up a grocery store and made enough money to not only repay all her loans, but also dream of expanding her business. She has now taken a Rs 1 lakh loan and plans to add a vegetables and fruits section to her shop.
But after all the success, her face still turns somber while taking about 2002. “The moment that the rioters came and set our home and shop to fire is the worst memory of my life,” she says. It broke me emotionally and economically, but my spirit refused to break. On that fateful day, I witnessed my dreams shattering before me eyes. I really doubted whether I would be able to put my life together. But my husband knew I had a bond with ICECD team. The NGO and my husband motivated me to try once more.”
Today, Yasmin and her husband Firoz regularly share their story of horror to happiness to inspire other riot victims to stand on their feet. Hina Shah, director of ICECD, believes in empowering women in practical ways. “We believe in not only helping women ear n a livelihood, but we support them to be able to fight their ow n b at t l e s, without feeling lonely,” says Shah.
Restoring pride
Madina Mustakar, a widow, eked out a living as a daily-wage labourer in 2002 and was certain there was no hope when her oneroom rented house in Bhagol, Modasa, was set on fire by rioters. “Life was hell, she says. “I could not even go out and get work for myself.” Madina became directionless, jobless and homeless. “But then, with a group of women, I joined a small course to learn stitching and make hand-made vaseline. Repairing and altering clothes and selling Vaseline brought in some money which I invested in setting up a shop.” Today, Madina earn about Rs 1.5 lakh annually selling plastic items.
Biwi turns businesswoman
Until 2002, Shehnaz Vohra, 38, had been a housewife, closed within the four walls of her home. She never dreamt of becoming an owner of a two-floor shop after her family lost the small paan shop during communal riots in 2002 in Sihuj village in Kheda.
In a bid to supplement her f amily income, Shehnaz took a short skill-upgradation course in 2002. “As we had lost our shop, I decided to open a small shop selling plasticware and artificial jewellery and invested Rs 800. I used to sell these items from home. Later the business grew and I could invest between Rs 3,000 and Rs 5,000 per month.”
Today, her husband Mukbul has a paan corner within the two-floor shop. We have invested Rs 20 lakh in this garments store, which stocks everything,” says Shehnaz. She supplies uniforms to 150 primary schools in Mehmadabad for last three years and has bought a free delivery van which runs from school to school.
