Lalita Kulkarni is 42 years old. She got married in 1991 and gave birth to two children. Her daughter, Asha (meaning Hope), is 18 years old and managed to progress to the second year of a college degree in commerce at the university in Hubli. Her son is 15 years old and starting the 9th grade.
Lalita’s husband has his own sweet paan shop. Paan is good for digestion after eating too much! He brings in Rs 3000 to Rs 5000 per month (€40 to €70).
Lalita had to stop her schooling at the age of 16 after finishing the tenth grade. She then began working as a nursery school teacher for children between four and six years old. At the age of 19 she moved to Pondicherry to work in a leather factory where she stayed alone. There she made leather products such as jackets and couch covers. This was hard work, with hours being from 8am – 5pm for a monthly salary of Rs 1500 (€20 per month). At the age of 24, Lalita got married. She worked for four years in a ladies clothing store selling skirts and blouses, and then started her own business working from home, where she managed to bring in Rs 2000 per month (€28 per month).
Two years ago Lalita acquired a microloan of Rs 5000 (€70) from Mann Deshi. From this she began work as a teacher and constructed her own house. She managed to repay the loan within five months.
Lalita joined the Satara Fashion Project out of curiosity for machines and design, having already worked with industrial machines in Pondicherry.
Lalita’s dream is to improve her tailoring skills, eventually designing and selling her own garments. She also wants to improve her jam making skills and start her own shop selling jam and similar types of food.
