“Gender was never a barrier”- women entrepreneurs from Silchar break glass ceilings

By Sanchayita

According to the Ministry of Finance, women in India own 20% of all small, micro and medium businesses. The number is gradually rising but still it is nothing compared to the 80% of businesses owned by men. Women have the added pressure of juggling their domestic duties as well as various other socio-economic factors which makes running and owning a business comparatively difficult. In Barak Valley itself we have seen a rise of women entrepreneurs over the years. Today on International Women’s Day we celebrate these inspiring women who have broken down glass ceilings and accepted the role of a business owner no matter what hardships they’ve encountered in their endeavours. Barak Bulletin reached out to five dynamic business owners to learn more about the triumphs and hardships of being an entrepreneur.

First, we have Sandipta Singha who started the initiative “Kashish” to raise funds for the welfare of stray animals. Kashish is an online shop which sells handmade decoratives. Their speciality is their dream catchers and 60% of all profits are donated to various animal welfare charities. You can help the cause by supporting @kashishbysandipta on Instagram.

Sandipta’s brainchild “Kashish” is unique as she says, “It was solely started to serve a purpose. It came into existence because I wanted to help the stray animals desperately. But not in a way where I spend money burning a hole in my pocket”.

When asked about her catalyst, dreamcatchers, she said, “The first dreamcatcher I made was for my best friend. I watched a youtube tutorial and after 7 hours, I completed it. It was not the best looking but it made me very happy to create something that I only saw on the internet. The next year when the lockdown happened, my brother wanted to make one for his friend and sought my help. That was the second. One evening the idea of this initiative came to my mind and I shared it among my friends. Even the thought of this initiative made me feel very happy. I was skeptical at first, but I got lucky to have friends who believed in me and orders started pouring in.

To Sandipta, gender was not the barrier, the real barrier was the competition. She says, “there were so many pages which sold dreamcatchers and they were way ahead of me. So, I had to stand out somehow”.

Sandipta had said that “Entrepreneur is a big word for me” but how many people have taken up the reins to actually contribute to a cause they believe in? This is what makes a true entrepreneur, to us.

Next, we have the story of Alankara. Although Alankara was not started by women, the resilience required to continue such an arduous job despite facing a massive personal tragedy must be commended. Alankara was started by Shyamal Bhuiya but after his tragic and untimely death, the helm is held by Debjani Bhuiya and Subhashree Bhuiya, his wife and daughter respectively. We could interview Subhashree Bhuiya, his daughter, for this article. You can support Alankara by either visiting their phyiscal store in Nazirpatty or by purchasing their items from @_alaankara_silchar on Instagram.

Subhashree finds the environment of the shop unique. She says, “Every customer that visits Alankara says the same thing “This place feels like home.” Moreover, we store products for all generations and thus a mother and a daughter both can find their favourite products at our shop”.

When asked how she managed the business and cope with the grief at the same time, she replied, “I learnt with time. When my father opened the shop, he told me that I may have to manage it some day. I did not think it would be this soon. I wasn’t prepared for such a responsibility. My mother is my biggest Pillar of strength. I haven’t had the time to cope with my father’s death. I dance to feel better whenever I feel low”.

What was challenging for Alankara was the perception their customers had and regarding that Subhashree says, “Customers have always assumed that it must be an expensive shop, which it is not. Our products are quite affordable. Gender was not our greatest barrier, it was the loss of my father who had unmatched business acumen”.

Alankara believes, “Humility and behaviour with customers is the biggest quality of any entrepreneur. You can have the best products in the universe but if you don’t know how to interact with your customers, you’ll have a hard time”.

Next up, we have Renuka Bardia who is the owner and creator of Renu Bakery. A Silchar based home bakery that offers a range of baked desserts and customised cakes for all occasions. Renu Bakery has become the quintessential bakery for every occasion in Silchar. You can support them on @renubakery

The inspiration behind Renu Bakery was her love for cooking and having a flair for creative activists. The mother of three daughters says, “After my daughters moved away for college, I started baking. I never thought it would start into a full time business. What makes Renu Bakery different from other bakeries is that we pay a lot of attention to customer satisfaction, because they’re our Gods”.

A now veteran in this field paints a positive picture and says, “I think Silchar and Barak Valley are quite progressive when it comes to gender”.

Following that, we talked to Khaddorooshik, a Silchar based cloud kitchen run by two youngsters and best friends from their mother’s kitchen. Dipasmita and Anwesha, met in college and bonded over their common love for eating and cooking. Like a match made in heaven, they also hit the idea and decided to start a business of their own. That’s how “Khaddorooshik” was conceived. To them Khaddorooshik is their “baby”. Dipasmita manages the savoury part while Anwesha handles their confectionery. Dipasmita says, “The inspiration comes from my grandma. She is the reason I’m so passionate and keen about cooking. Lockdown did act as an impetus, because otherwise it was difficult to manage both studies, college and the business”.

Talking about their USP, Khaddorooshik says, “You basically get pure home cooked food, only adulterated with nothing but love. In Khaddorooshik we personally deliver the food that we make with our own hands” . Like everyone they too had to face the blues before taking this big step. But with changing sceneries in our society, gender didn’t become a major bias for them. Dipasmita recollects, “There were times when my family was skeptical about me going to deliver alone during the wee hours of the day, as they were worried about my safety. Apart from that another barrier was the lifting up of lockdown, as all the fast food places started to reopen. And during lockdown, when I was very new at this, receiving so many orders was tiring, I wasn’t that good with time management. Plus there were times where we had to fulfill our orders and commitments in the middle of our college final years”.

Do send them love and support at their Instagram handle @Khaddorooshik and don’t forget to try their home made delicious recipes.

These are just a few stories from women entrepreneurs in Silchar, there are countless others who are persevering and fighting on despite the hurdles in their life. They are shining beacons for women in India as well as for women all over the world. This International Women’s Day, let us take a pledge to support the women in our life in their endeavours.