When Ruma, along with a few other neighboring women, went to see a fashion show in Barmar, Rajasthan, little did she know that would become the moment that’s going to turn her life upside down forever. Let me explain why.
Ruma Devi from Barmer, Rajasthan, revealed her lifelong desire to take part in a fashion show that was being held close by. She was inspired by the glitz and glamour of fashion and confident in her skills, honed from lessons passed down by her grandmother. The reaction, however, was upsetting and harsh: she was instructed to stick to what she was supposed to do—stitching—and that fashion design and even attending a fashion show were beyond her capabilities.
How many of us pause to think about what goes into creating a stunning item of clothing when we admire runway models or celebrities flaunting their lovely attire on the red carpet? The labor of hundreds of skilled hands that toiled for hours and days to create what we see is something we frequently simply forget about or brush aside.
When Ruma lost her mother, she was a young girl with goals and aspirations. She had to undertake household duties like traveling ten kilometers each day to fetch water when she should have been studying and having fun with friends. Under family pressure, Ruma eventually dropped out of school in eighth grade and got married at the age of 17.
A wise man once said that when you reach a point in your life where you believe your fate and destiny are set in stone, that is when you begin to understand what resilience is. Ruma had a strong desire to use and display her unique stitching abilities to the world. She began by taking small measures and eventually organised a group of women. They raised a total of Rs. 100 to buy some raw materials to manufacture her custom-embroidered handbags, which proved to be one of her life’s most significant turning points.
Ruma subsequently became the president of the local group “Gramin Vikas Evam Chetna Sansthan organization in 2010 after they discovered her talents in embroidery and craftsmanship. In Delhi’s Rafi Marg in 2010, she staged her first-ever exhibition, and at the Rajasthan Heritage Week in 2016, she presented her debut fashion show.
Ruma and many other women got the chance to present their work and gain attention through all of these events and projects, because they now had a creative and financial agency over their works, and for all of these women it was a unique opportunity and a moment of empowerment. Ruma received praise for empowering women, especially those in rural India, by establishing their financial independence, and ensuring that they received a good education.
She was the recipient of the 2018 Nari Shakti Puraskar, an annual honor awarded by the Indian Ministry of Women and Child Development to individuals and organizations that support the empowerment of women. Her honorary Ph.D. from Jaipur’s Mahatma Jyoti Rao Phule University, however, is the real feather in her cap. She quickly became well-known after participating in the popular game show Kaun Banega Crorepati, which Amitabh Bachchan hosted in September 2019.
She recalls with pride receiving an invitation email to present at the famous 17th annual India Conference from Harvard University. The Bajaj Group stepped up to help when she feared that she would never be able to pay for the trip’s expenditures. Ruma hosted a craft session at the university’s Public Health Department during her visit in February 2020, when she introduced the students to Indian hand embroidery. After the training, folks had no trouble connecting to Ruma, and as a result, she was able to conduct a few events in Washington and New York.
The young girl with dreams in her eyes, who was forced to drop out of school at the age of 13 to take care of household duties, could never have imagined that one day she would travel to places like Germany, Singapore, Thailand, Sri Lanka, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates in pursuit of her passion to market handmade and handcrafted products of Indian artisans in the middle east through e-commerce, with a particular focus on home décor and furnishings that involve intricate handwork.
Ruma adds that one of her current objectives is to introduce the newest fashion-related technologies to Rajasthan in order to streamline the working environment. She discusses how Dubai has given her a lot of hope because business owners there receive essential support. Hopefully, this will inspire artisans to look into more options in the area. Ruma intends to introduce her company in Dubai and use the UAE as a gateway to promote the export of home furnishings to the US and the UK. Ruma’s story is a testament to strength and perseverance, serving as a reminder to never give up on our dreams, no matter what obstacles stand in our way.
