The weekend saw the coming together of states, cultures and people at Lalbagh. A two-day event, Rashtriya Krishi Mahila Mahotsav, which was organised by the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research’s (IIHR) Women’s Cell, witnessed stalls by women entrepreneurs, who had displayed homespun affairs like pickles, idli mix, therapeutic creams and lotions, potted plants, jewellery, bags, jams, wine, soaps and what not. More than 50 stalls had been put up.
On Sunday, the director general of Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Dr S Ayyappan visited the stalls and interacted with the entrepreneurs.
Age-old grandma recipes had found their way in the mahotsav. Homemakers from across Karnataka had made most of the products at home with the help of family members or neighbours.
Dinesh Bhat, who was accompanying his mother, Bhagyrathi Bhat from Kharwa village, Honavar Taluk said that before his mother started the business of honey and squashes five years back, money was less and it was difficult to even manage a day’s meal. It was Bhagyrathi, who started the entire business from the beginning. Now, the family has 120 bee colonies and Kokum trees.
Similarly, Shamla Shastri from Mangalore found her true calling, when her friends and family members started complimenting her on the pickles she made. “I had never thought that I could start my own business. I used to make pickles for my children. The business has given me a lot of confidence,” she said.
Apart from the stalls by women entrepreneurs, government institutes such as IIHR, National Dairy Research Institute, University of Agricultural Sciences, Coconut Development Board had also put up stalls which had farming tools and products made of mushrooms on display.