A push for ‘vocal for local’ by Shobha Kumari’s Srijan Handicrafts

Shobha Kumari could never have thought that one day the Prime Minister of India will discuss her Srijan Handicrafts on national radio. Shobha Kumari is the founder of Srijan Handicrafts from Ranchi, Jharkhand. She launched Srijan Handicrafts in 1993, to popularise hand-made dolls.
Shobha Kumari has empowered thousands of underprivileged women with her art. “Srijan Handicrafts was not planned. This was my shop which grew as time passed,” Shobha Kumari told The Sunday Guardian. “My art has not only changed the lives of other women, but it has also changed my life and we both have worked to achieve this,” Kumari said.
Shobha Kumari’s efforts are meant to keep Indian art, culture, and tradition alive by making eco-friendly dolls, which are now shipped worldwide. She also explained how her art is bringing change in the lives of other women.
“Every woman has some talent, it just needs to be nurtured and given direction,” said Kumari. “We can train a newcomer to earn up to Rs 10,000 a month. I charge only those who can pay, those from underprivileged backgrounds get free training,” she said.
The venture received an honorary mention in a recent episode of Mann Ki Baat where PM Modi lauded Shobha Kumari and her team for encouraging vocal for local. “I was feeling good and that mention I think is the biggest achievement for us,” said Shobha Kumari.
Asked what has changed after the mention by the PM, she said: “People have started recognizing us and after that, I have got orders from NGOs as well as from foreign nations,” Kumari said. “Even I was awarded the Shakti award in Mumbai,” Shobha Kumari said.
Kumari’s Jharkhand dolls are a good example of this spirit. Following Prime Minister Modi’s Vocal For Local initiative, Srijan Handicrafts has so far trained more than a thousand women to make dolls of clay
and sawdust.