Parvati Hanchinal is 30 years old. She married at the age of 19 but, after only 6 months, her husband passed away. He was only 28 years old and committed suicide. She has no children and lives with her parents, who are both farmers, and her brother. She belongs to the Hindu Lingait caste, a relatively fee caste that, for example, allows inter-caste marriages. Her parents want her to remarry, but it has turned out to be very difficult, since they cannot afford to pay a large dowry. They have been trying to find her a husband for the past 11 years.
Parvati only studied up until the seventh grade, when she was 13 years old. She followed a one year tailoring course arranged by the government and at the age of 16 she began work as a tailor. She started her own shop from home making traditional Indian clothing, from which she earned a monthly salary of Rs 1500 (€21 per month).
Parvati learned about the Satara Fashion Project from a fellow participant, Sujata, who is her neighbour. She joined the project to learn new, modern stitching methods and improve her tailoring skills. She is passionate about tailoring.
“I want to perfect my tailoring skills. I am learning new things: some easy, some difficult, but I’m able to manage.”
Parvati’s dream is to perfect her tailoring skills and grow her business from home. She wants to find a husband and have children.
