Chhattisgarh: From ordinary woman to 'drone didi', Jagriti Sahu's story inspires others
Raipur, Nov 30
Jagriti Sahu, a resident of Matwari village in Durg district was an ordinary and unknown name until her mushroom cultivation became a roaring success and earned her the spotlight. Though, this came at the cost of abandoning her dreams of being a teacher, her transition from the ordinary resident to 'Drone Didi' has been impressive and has become a tale of inspiration for others.
Jagriti, having earned post-graduate degree in two subjects and also B.Ed. degree nurse a dream of becoming a teacher since childhood, but fate had other plans.
In 2019, she sold mushrooms worth lakhs of rupees, creating a living example of self-reliance and breaking free from the age-old shackles. She also trained women in nearby villages, showing them the path to self-reliance and also helped them make profits.
Her ground-breaking work reflects a sense of responsibility toward society and not just business.
Sharing her experience and endeavour towards replacing chemical-based gulal with herbal one, she said that after research and advice from experts, she found that herbal gulal could be made from homegrown vegetables and flowers.
She began producing herbal gulal, along with fellow villagers.
In the first year, the sisters sold only gulal worth Rs 35,000. Last year, her group received numerous orders for herbal gulal, selling products worth Rs 8,25,000.
Jagriti's motivational journey has earned her admiration and applause from village administration. She came to be known as the "Mushroom Lady of Durg", owing to her stride in mushroom business.
Jagriti's journey from an ordinary woman to a 'Lakhpati Didi' in inspiring and today she is leading agriculture towards progress.
She was also selected for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's initiative - Namo Drone Didi and she received drone training. Today, she is a certified drone pilot and known as "Drone Didi".
Using drones, she sprays pesticides in fields and brings the benefits of this new technology to farmers. This not only saves farmers time but also reduces labor and expenses.
Jagriti failed to realise her dreams of becoming teacher, but today she is an example of a practical and professional educator for many women.
She is providing technical and vocational training to many women related to drones, mushroom production, and household goods production, leading her and other women towards self-reliance.
— IANS
Reader Comments
This is exactly what rural India needs - women entrepreneurs who create employment and bring technology to farming. The drone initiative is brilliant! More power to Drone Didi! 🙌
While her success is commendable, I wonder if we're celebrating abandoning teaching dreams too much. India needs good teachers as much as entrepreneurs. Just a thought.
The herbal gulal innovation is fantastic! So much better for the environment and health during Holi celebrations. More people should adopt such eco-friendly traditions.
From Rs 35,000 to Rs 8,25,000 in gulal sales - that's incredible growth! This shows what proper training and government support can do for rural women entrepreneurs.
She's still teaching, just in a different way - training women in new skills! That's the beauty of education - it takes many forms. More women should follow her path of self-reliance.
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