Empowered and Independent

Kanchana came from a family of weavers who wove the most exquisite Venkatagiri sarees. While her father, mother and brother worked on the loom, sunk waist deep in the pit peddling all day long, her sister spun the charkha with cotton thread, the famous spinning wheel, a proud symbol of our Indian Heritage. In those days a couple of decades ago, Kanchana helped with household chores and did not finish high school due to poverty. Despite hours of toil the family lived in debt to moneylenders, unable to make ends meet in those days. Kanchana chose to make use of the opportunities she saw in DWARAKA.

A hard worker, a perfectionist, and a woman with grit and determination young Kanchana grew up to be amongst the best of DWARAKA artists. She won the  young artist achiever award instituted by the Crafts Council of India, in the name of Kamaladevi Chattopaddhya, winning laurels for her family and team mates in DWARAKA. Kanchana is a true reflection of the success of the DWARAKA Movement that set out two decades ago to empower rural women artisans. Today she reflects this being of self-reliance to its core having moved on to independently start a unit of her own.