Entire world is today celebrating International Women’s Day. With around 22 million women, Indian textile and apparel industry has lot of women at helm, which includes the likes of Union Textile Minister Smriti Irani, Dipali Goenka, JMD and CEO, Welspun India; Suchita Jain, Vice Chairman and JMD, Vardhman Textiles, globally known designers Ritu Kumar and Anita Dongre… and many more.
On the other side, there are millions of workers, working at the shop floor, living their dreams, managing their family with lot of hard work, facing challenges and yet sometimes showing a good level of enthusiasm.
On this International Women’s Day, Apparel Resources is sharing with you a short story about 3 women workers, working at CTA Apparels, Noida.
Having textile as a subject in her 12th class, with a diploma of Quality Assurance from NITRA and also pursuing BSC final year, Vichitra from Muzaffarnagar is a checker, who wants to focus on becoming a merchandiser in long run.
“I love my job especially design aspect, new styles in dresses. I know about pattern making also, and so it gives me lot of satisfaction,” she says.
Though she has full support of her family and there is no pressure on her, her father wants her to focus on Government job.
“There is no major challenge in overall professional and personal life, but I feel that girls/women should also get the same freedom and respect that boys/men get,” she says.
Karuna from Bareilly, another young checker in the factory, also has diploma in Fashion Designing from Government Girls Polytechnic, Lucknow and after placed in Sahu Exports, she joined CTA Apparels just few months back. However, her vision is to start her own boutique.
And for this she is enjoying learning new designs, technical aspects and machines.
Strongly believing in knowledge sharing, Karuna says, “I feel happy about my profession as no one can make me fool when I buy clothes be it the quality of fabric, quality of stitching or price.”
The only thing she wishes to change in the industry is ego of professionals.
With so much of professional qualification, both of them are happily working as checkers as they have not been able to get opportunities owing to COVID-19; however, they are geared up to live their dreams.
Praveena, tailor in the same factory, has been a part of the industry since 2008 and she was previously also associated with another respectable export house Radnik Export. She started working as a helper, but now after training and experience she has become a good tailor. “I have two daughters and I want to see them successful. That’s why I am working hard,” she says.
She adds the only thing that bothers her about the industry is the occasional rude behaviour of her colleagues and seniors. “I am happy to work in CTA as here the environment is quite supportive and everyone behaves responsibly, but at the same time I know there are factories where workers often undergo ill-treatment and abuse. It really hurts especially when it happens with women,” she says.
Apart from working in factory, all three women are role models under Uttar Pradesh Government scheme Mission Shakti and have been creating awareness about various Government initiatives and schemes amongst other women.
