ASSAM : Arthritis once confined Kanaklata Das Mudoi to bed, but it could not weaken her spirit. Fighting through physical pain and financial hardship, the woman from Assam built a successful business from scratch.
Born in Kampur in central Assam and now settled in Guwahati, Kanaklata has spent the last eight years making and promoting traditional Assamese “pithas”—delicacies prepared mainly from rice flour, coconut, sesame and jaggery. Her entry into entrepreneurship was born out of necessity. Her husband worked as an insurance agent and earned a modest income, while the couple struggled to support the education of their two sons. “I was an arthritis patient and my condition worsened in 2017, leaving me bedridden. I feared that my illness would demoralise them and affect my sons’ education,” Kanaklata recalls.
After undergoing regular treatment, she partially recovered in 2019 and was able to walk again without much difficulty. That was when she seriously started thinking about earning an income to support her family.
With an investment of just Rs 350, she began her home-made pitha business.
“One fine day, I made two items—coconut laddu and tel pitha. On the way to my children’s school to pick them up, I dropped by a confectionery to enquire if it had any pithas. It instantly bought my products on learning that they were homemade. I spent Rs 300 on those items and sold them for Rs 700, making a profit of Rs 400,” says Kanaklata, a graduate. A few days later, the confectionery owner informed her that customers had liked her tel pitha and placed bulk orders for both his shops.
“One day ahead of Bohag Bihu, a wholesaler arrived at my house and ordered three items in bulk. Then, another wholesaler placed an order. Several wholesalers became my customers,” she says.
As her business steadily expanded, Kanaklata opened a shop in a posh area of Guwahati. Today, she employs around 15 people. “I offer 14 items, including several varieties of laddus made with jaggery and sugar, and rice/pan cakes made with black rice, sticky rice, etc. I use beetroot juice in a couple of my signature products” she says. She also markets her products at expos and supplies to wholesalers and sweet shops. Tragedy struck earlier this year when she lost her husband to colon cancer.
Despite the personal loss, Kanaklata continues to move forward. Today, her elder son helps manage the business, while her younger son is pursuing business management studies to support his mother.
