Starting her business with just Rs. 50, homemaker Meenakshi Walke now sells her rakhi into global markets.
Meenakshi Walake, who lives in Chandrapur, Maharashtra, is affectionately called “Bamboo lady.” Four years ago, she started her own business making bamboo products like baskets, trays, jewelry, and lamp, among others. Prices for these ranged between Rs 25 and Rs 2000. She sells these products all over India, including Delhi, Mumbai and Pune.
A new beginning !
Meenakshi got married to Mukesh Walke in 2015. She was a housewife for two years. After the birth of her son Abhisar, financial burdens on the family increased, so she had to look for a job as well. Meenakshi began carving wooden items and creating thread jewelry from her home.
This continued until 2018 when tragedy struck. After losing their daughter during the childbirth process, Meenakshi and her husband decided not to work anymore. She thought that the loss was due to excessive work,” says Mukesh. “But I insisted that she continue working, so it would keep her mind off the accident.”
Even though she didn’t jump back into work right away, Mukesh’s words inspired her to go out and explore. She found out about an initiative by the Forestry Department, where for 70 days they’d be training people in the craft of bamboo arts. After knowing wood carving for some time, Meenakshi decided to enrol in a course.
She was interested in crafts when she took this course but didn’t know anything about bamboo before taking this course. After learning it, she felt confident enough to do it.
During the training, we were provided with a hand toolkit. When I got back from my trip, I started making products out of bamboo that I had bought at just Rs. 50.
People who heard about her work from others began ordering products from her. At this time, she was also involved in an event organized by the government in Nagapore, where she saw how much people appreciate bamboo products and further fuelled her work and creativity.
She had her breakthrough moment at the Miss Climate beauty pageant in 2019 when organizers reached out to her. They wanted someone who could create an eco-friendly crown out of bamboo. She was hired after submitting several sketches and went on to make 16 crown pieces for the pageant.
“I was really impressed by their interest in my work and they even asked me if I would be willing to participate in the competition.” “It was a big achievement for us,” she adds.
How the idea came for Bamboo Rakhi?
After the pageant, her identity as a craftswoman shaped like a swan had solidified. She was so creative that she created products like a QR code reader and friendship bracelets.
Her best-selling products to date are her eco-friendly bamboo rakhi. She has bamboo as her main material, but she also uses natural materials like tulsi leaves and rudraksha leaves for decoration. The thread is also woven from pure cotton, making the finished product completely sustainable.
These were not well received when they first came out in 2018. Today, however, she ships them as far away as London. Even the 500 rakhis I had made did not sell. Today, these rakhis have become my identity. “Last year, I sold a total of 10, 000 rakhis for a profit of Rs 3 Lakhs.”
After seeing the success, Mukesh quit his job and started working for her full time, handling orders and communications.
She has sold 6,000 rakhis this year.
She has been conferred with the Nari Shakti award for her work. She was awarded the Woman Hero Award by the Inso-Canadian Arts and Culture Society in 2021.
She makes her own bamboo products and trained over 200 women in the art so far. She wants to see more women become independent and confident.
