Pabiben comes from the rural region of Gujarat and belongs to the Rabaris. She truly is a role model to all rural women wanting to kick start their careers and also change some societal norms in the journey. Coming from a rather held back community, Pabiben did not have the easiest past. Born in Kukadsar, a small town in Kutch, she could not attend school, as her mother- a young widow, needed help with raising her sisters.  Being the eldest she, helped care for her sisters.

Founding Pabiben.com

Although she faced many hardships, she still managed to pave her way through and founded  “PABIBEN.COM” with Mr. Nilesh Priyadarshi, founder of The Kaarigar Clinic.

His start-up, aims toward brand establishment and Identity Development of Rural artisans and makes them self-employed and dependent. They work with the local companies to help them stand up on their own feet for about 2-3 years after which the crafterman has complete ownership of their company.

According to Mr.Nilesh, “The NGOs require major reform in terms of giving credit to artisans. And that is what we, at Kaarigar Clinic, are doing.” 

ABOUT PABIBEN’s COMPANY

Pabiben came along with the Dhebaria women and together  they create beautiful pieces of handicraft with unique techniques and it is safe to say that they are actively setting trends!

From being featured in multiple films to meeting Amitab Bhachchan, they sure have come a long way since 2016. “Their turnover is about 30 lacs” says Mr.Nilesh. 

They did however, face many difficulties. The idea of a woman stepping up and staring a business was threatening to the social beliefs of the community. And after getting past that, various traders often denied the product at the last moment because the tags read “Pabiben”. They just weren’t ready to handover the credit and would believe that rural products don’t have a stand in urban markets. But Pabiben and her teammates stuck to their moral of achieving an unique identity and that has worked out for their best.

Being hit by the pandemic, they also came up with a creative idea of a “supply chain”. They gave out 200 complimentary gift boxes and added in notes insisting customers to send more as gifts to their friends and family. In those they promoted another batch and the cycle keeps repeating.

This perseverance to stand out and innovation to overcome challenges during the pandemic has been commendable. It has benefitted not only Pabiben but also all those women who questioned the entire idea in the first place. It has helped them step out of their conservative household and add an income source to their families.

For more details: https://www.pabiben.com

Written and edited by: Riya Shaharkar

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