SHG
Folk Art Funds Independence Shree Maruthi SHG, Jikavandlapalli, Bagepalli taluk
The ancient art of leather puppetry or thogalu gombe has become a source of livelihood for this self help group that uses traditional methods to make puppets, lampshades, door and wall hangings out of leather.
Shree Maruthi SHG in Jikavandlapalli, Bagepalli Taluk, Chikkaballapur District consists of 12 members who make puppets, lamp shades, door & wall hangings out of leather. Located in Jikavandlapalli, Bagepalli taluk of Chikkaballapur District, this SHG had simple origins way back in 1995. Chandrakala, the SHG president, recalls that a group of neighbourhood women gathered and decided to work together for financial sustenance. The members manufacture leather lamp shades, puppets, door hangings, and wall hangings. Relying solely on government-sponsored exhibitions held across the country, the group used to be hard hit during the months when there were no exhibitions. In 2010, the KSRLPS – Sanjeevini district officials of Chikkaballapur intervened with a financial boost to the SHG. Shree Maruthi availed a
subsidy of Rs.1.25 lakh and an interest-free bank loan of another Rs.1.25 lakh. Their products are end-to-end handmade, without any machine intervention, and all the raw materials including leather, paint and other materials are locally sourced. These handicrafts have attracted the attention of the young generation. “Several college girls come to us seeking training in the products we manufacture”. Challenges to any business are inevitable and Shree Maruthi is not an exception. “Our products don’t have a local market. The manufacturing costs are also on the higher side. “Leather as a raw material is quite expensive and we have limited means. We get assistance from Sanjeevini whenever required”, says Chandrakala. With an active presence on Facebook and WhatsApp, the SHG members aspire to expand the market for their products.
“Sanjeevini has been constantly helping us with financial assistance and exposure. NRLM staff understand our limitations and provide us the required help. Our SHG is doing decently, and we are now successfully running two self help groups”, says Chandrakala, president, Shree Maruthi SHG.
Sanjeevini Interventions: CIF: Rs.1.25 lakh interest free bank loan & Rs.1.25 lakh subsidy
Loan of Rs.10 lakh is in the pipeline.
The SHG is expected to receive technical training in the future.
CIF funds
: Rs.1.75 lakh
Infrastructure
: Panchayat has provided land for workshed
Increase in production
: from Rs.10,000 to Rs.1.5 lakh
Average monthly sales in 2020 : Rs.1.5 lakh The group is also known for its leather paintings depicting the episodes of the Hindu epics, Mahabharata and Ramayana.
48 | Sanjeevini
Sanjeevini | 49
