the Story of Ruma Devi and (2022)

“Every time a lady stands up for herself, she stands up for all girls.” 

Ruma Devi’s story of turning into a globally acknowledged model begins together with her personal. 

From what began as a small group of ladies artisans contributing INR 100 to purchase materials like fabric, threads and plastic wrappers for making cushions and luggage, Ruma Devi’s grit became “Ruma – The Craft of India”, a flourishing on-line enterprise, with an even bigger trigger fuelling the eagerness of ladies throughout tribes. 

In the present day, Ruma Devi is greater than only a identify of an individual. It is named an artisan-made platform which connects rural India to City India instantly. The model has one imaginative and prescient assertion – “For the artisans. By the artisans.” 

We at Shopify are glad to be part of their journey, by being the platform for his or her on-line storefront that takes their merchandise to prospects far and broad.  

“Once we began making our web site on Shopify, we have been actually scared however it proved to be a blessing for all of our artisans. We’re overwhelmed to be part of Shopify.” 

Ruma Devi’s story right here is an instance of how commerce is the way in which to succeed right now. In case you’re somebody who has been holding again from following your ardour or a pastime, it’s time to take a leap of religion and begin your personal enterprise on-line by signing up for a free trial on Shopify right now.

From ghoonghat to glory: The journey of Ruma Devi 

The change maker of rural India, Ruma Devi is an emblem of ladies empowerment who’s empowering artisans from rural India to earn with dignity. 

A journey that was began out by a person with solely a thread and needle at hand to passionately craft village artwork, has right now been acknowledged by the style trade throughout the globe.  

She has additionally been awarded the Nari Shakti Award by the President of India for her exemplary work within the subject. The Nari Shakti Puraskar or Award is an annual award given by the Ministry of Ladies and Youngster Improvement of the Authorities of India to particular person girls or establishments that actively work in the direction of the reason for girls empowerment. 

‘NariShakti Award’ introduced by President of India

Designer of the yr Award

Being born within the desert area in Rawatsar village of Barmer district, Ruma Devi needed to drop out of faculty at school 8th whereas right now she is somebody who has been invited by Harvard College for her exemplary work within the subject of ladies empowerment by means of innovation within the conventional craft follow. 

Ruma Devi on the India Convention at Harvard 2020

Her extraordinary instance was introduced within the British Parliament Home of Lords on Worldwide Ladies’s Day 2019. 

In the present day, she has modified the lives of greater than 25,000 rural girls artisans residing within the villages of the key Thar desert. 

Her transition from ghoonghat, a standard head masking or headband, to glory began when she misplaced her mom at 4 and obtained married on the minor age of 17 years. Life grew to become more difficult with the unstable household situations that additionally led to Ruma Devi shedding her first born youngster inside 48 hours as she couldn’t avail primary medical amenities. 

Like the opposite girls within the desert, her life was additionally restricted to the boundary of their houses, veiled and dwelling in household and social fetters. She was left with no different possibility besides labor work to assist her household again then, which was the case of many different girls within the villages. 

However as an alternative of getting annoyed, she took the key step of constructing her artwork of conventional craft her power in 2007 which she discovered from her grandmother in childhood. Beginning small – all by herself, she determined to step out to bodily occasions, and commerce exhibits, and enterprise into promoting the craft full time by looping in additional girls artisans from the village to assist her scale manufacturing.

She quickly deserted the veil, moved over household restrictions and turned craft right into a life-saving and life-changing pursuit. In the present day, her leap of religion and braveness has led to altering the lives of greater than 22,000 rural girls artisans. 

And that’s how ‘Ruma – The Craft of India’ was born. 

Right here’s a video that shares the story of the artisans, the place they arrive from and the way they create each single piece you see on Ruma Devi right now: 

The target and the imaginative and prescient behind Ruma – The Craft of India 

The imaginative and prescient of the model is to bridge the hole between rural and concrete life, giving these artisans their very own platform to make a dwelling that can assist them develop in all points of life. 

In their very own phrases, the imaginative and prescient is acknowledged as: 

“‘From rural to city’ – linking the artisanal neighborhood on to the customer neighborhood and creating consciousness among the many youth about ‘The Crafts of India’.”

However with greater visions, come their very own challenges 

In the course of the pandemic, the lives of artisans got here to a standstill with no vogue exhibits, public gatherings or occasions occurring to promote their craftwork at. From the haats to festive seasons like Diwali and extra, many artisans misplaced their livelihood to not getting a possibility to current their work. 

Because of lack of digital literacy, lots of the artisans that Ruma Devi labored with weren’t conscious of the net promoting portals. Proper from understanding what they have been to with the ability to showcase their artwork and craft, Ruma Devi needed to begin from scratch to offer Digital Literacy workshops. She even went a step forward and supplied artisans freed from value smartphones to get accustomed to the altering dynamics of digital. 

Because the merchandise began to take type, there have been additionally restricted sources for skilled providers accessible at floor stage like images, web site improvement, digital advertising and marketing and so on. that might assist the artisans current their work in the very best gentle. Add to that warehouse administration, stock administration, web site dealing with and the shortage of funds throughout the pandemic, Ruma Devi confronted a sea of challenges in taking the artisanal work on-line. 

Beginning their on-line journey with Shopify 

The Edelgive Basis got here ahead to assist Ruma Devi and her initiatives take form on-line. However the eCommerce platform the preliminary storefront was developed on, got here with its personal complexities and lack of ability to scale simply with the shortage of assist. 

Round this time, Ruma Devi and her group have been launched to Shopify. In their very own phrases, “Once we began making our web site on Shopify, we have been actually scared however it proved to be a blessing for all of our artisans. We’re overwhelmed to be part of Shopify.” 

With the assistance of Shopify’s eCommerce platform, Ruma Devi was in a position to arrange an internet retailer to not simply showcase the merchandise created by artisans, but additionally join them to prospects quicker, letting them promote their merchandise far and broad. In the present day, their handmade merchandise are purchased by customers throughout India by means of a storefront that we’re proud is part of our household, www.rumadevi.com. 

Aside from establishing a storefront for the artisanal work, the Shopify ecosystem additionally enabled Ruma Devi’s group to ship an up-to-date buyer buying expertise with the assistance of free apps for advertising and marketing, design and different points.  

Because the group states, “We added free apps by Shopify which helped us enhance the technological effectivity of the web site to reply to what prospects anticipated to see on the storefront. The power to begin advertising and marketing campaigns and maintain observe of our gross sales, made it simple for us to develop our on-line presence and optimize the methods to succeed in extra consumers.” 

The journey onwards and upwards 

As Ruma Devi says, “All of us have a singular expertise and ability. We simply have to acknowledge it and transfer ahead with it confidently. No work is small or huge. I began this smallest thread and needle work for my very own sake, however it has now modified the lives of many different girls in villages. Simply imagine in your self and carry on following your ardour. Seize each alternative you get. Don’t be afraid of failures as they’re simply steps to our success.” 

As Ruma Devi makes an impression on the lives of many throughout India, and evokes everybody throughout the globe, right here’s to a journey collectively for a lot of extra years to come back. 

To assist Ruma Devi and her initiatives to carry ahead the work of ladies artisans, go to their retailer right now: www.rumadevi.com. 

Able to take step one in the direction of making your craft a supply of revenue? Shopify is right here to assist your desires! Get began by clicking right here.