BHOPAL: Two months back, 25-year-old Sita Vasuniya, was just like any other tribal woman in Bheelanchal region of western Madhya Pradesh.
But now, the mother of a two-year-old baby boy, has emerged as a symbol of women-empowerment in her community after featuring in Vogue Italia – the Italian edition of the world’s premier fashion magazine - Vogue.
Wearing a Maheshwar Handloom saree, that she block-printed herself, Sita's photo was shot by a Delhi-based fashion photographer at Rani Roopmati Mahal, in tourist hotspot Mandu of Dhar district.
“When I started training in February, I had never dreamt of being featured even in a local newspaper forget about figuring in a premier fashion magazine. I still can’t believe it,” an overjoyed Sita told The New Indian Express on Wednesday.
A resident of Panala village of Dhar district, Sita is just one of the ten women, who are a part of the Dhara self-help group created as part of the Madhya Pradesh government’s ambitious 'Ek Jila Ek Utpaad' (One District One Product) scheme, under the Atmanirbhar Madhya Pradesh mission.
According to the additional district magistrate (ADM) of Dhar, Saloni Sidana, “Dhar district is famous for its fabric printing art, including the Bagh print, Dabu, and Batik prints. Under the state government’s Ek Jila Ek Utpad scheme, the Dhar district administration focused on training young girls and women in these traditional styles of fabric printing and then creating market linkages for those products.”
Three women SHGs, including Suraj and Chandani (which specialize in Bagh fabric printing) and Dhara (specializing in Dabu, Batik, block-printing, hand painting, and thread work) were created. Currently, 30 women are part of these groups.
“All the girls and women of all three groups were trained in fabric printing art first. Then experts and designers from reputed academic institutions, including Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), and National Institute of Design (NID) were roped in to study and experiment with newer designs to penetrate more into the global market. Subsequently Lookbook was developed to showcase the sarees printed by all three groups,” the ADM-Dhar informed.
Not only was Lookbook created to showcase the offering of three women SHGs to the fashion world, but instead of professional models, it was the tribal girls and women who printed these handloom sarees, who wore the sarees with elan for the photo-shoots of the Lookbook.
“The results of our experimentation is for all to see, Sita featuring in her own block printed handloom saree on the Vogue Italia digital edition is just the beginning. While homegrown fashion/designer labels from Jaipur, Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune and Bhopal have already started booking orders with the three groups, Sita’s picture in the premier fashion magazine has resulted in a series of more calls. We’re confident that in the coming months, not only Sita, but the other young girls and women will turn self-dependent and earn livelihood on their own with their creative splendours,” the ADM-Dhar said.