The inspiring story of a Rural Woman

This story started at the local hair dressing salon last weekend where I went for my haircut. The person in charge was a man in his fifties and it was a one man show. After initial pleasantries I asked him, “Where are you from as you speak the Ganga kinare bhasha?” (The dialect associated with the banks of Ganges). I told him that the mithaas “sweetness” that Bhojpuri language has makes it standout from all other.

“I belong to Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh” he announced and suggested I should listen to the dialect of Jaunpur to get a taste of real mithaas. The conversation went and so did the scissors, while I was in the quiet end of both. 

Learning I was from Kolkata, he revealed that during his younger days folks from his village traveled to Kolkata in search of fortune and some of his relative continue to live there after they made it real big. He then pondered “How is Kolkata it now?” Sensing  my discomfort, he confessed that people no longer head that way in search of their dreams. 

Though we both left for foreign shores in search of greener pastures, he believed there is no dearth of opportunities back home if one is willing to toil hard. He narrated few success stories of ordinary men and women from Uttar Pradesh.

I have found the story of Smt. Krishna Yadav extremely inspiring. The success of this illiterate rural women is breathtaking and also proves there are ample of opportunities in our country for those who try.

I was awestruck by the humility of a person who have managed to establish a successful business starting from scratch. A rural couple from Bulandshahr arrives at Delhi looking for a livelihood after the husband loses his job. They take to farming on other’s land, finding no other viable option. But when time came to sell their produce, the price was not good and stock remained unsold.

She embarked on the journey of making pickles with the leftover vegetables after getting trained by relevant agencies. With her hard work and vision she has established "Krishna pickle factory" which generate income for her family and employment for many rural women. They now produce Pickles, Jam, juices and whole lot of other products and she has evolved as true leader.

Aspee Foundation awarded L.M.Patel Farmer Award to Smt. Krishna Yadav. I suggest that you listen to the story in her own words in this video.  

But hers' is not an one off case, there are many such success stories across India and with strong will you too can add yours to this list!