Sunita Ramgouda, who grew up in the 80s in West Bengal, wanted to keep something in memory of her dadi (grandmother). Dadi used to make dolls out of old clothes or pieces of cloth, which Sunita used to carry with love throughout the day.

Sunita says that it is from these memories that her start-up 'The Good Gifts', which makes fabric dolls by upcycling old clothes, began.

"Our grandmothers used to make dolls out of old clothes, but with the advent of plastic, people stopped this practice. We took this old idea of making rag dolls and gave it a contemporary look, "says Suhas Ramagowda, Sunita's husband.

"We have designed the dolls in such a way that they can change clothes. These clothes are very detailed and give the child a real feeling. With different skin tones and facial expressions, children look at dolls and dress up as their Ajja-Ajji (grandmother, grandfather) and Amma (mother), "he adds.

These dolls are not only good for the children but also for the society and provide employment opportunities to tribal women artisans. Through the start-up, Sunitha and Suhas have empowered 230 women from tribal communities in the Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu. Interestingly, The Good Gifts prevented 8,000 kilograms of fabric from being thrown away as waste.

After marriage, Suhas and Sunita settled in Bengaluru and worked in the corporate sector for 15 years.

"But it's something that we're missing in our lives. We were not satisfied and couldn't find any purpose in the work we were doing, so Sunita and I decided to move to a rural area. We were so used to the hustle and bustle of city life that we wanted to find out what made us happy, "he says.

In 2017, the couple moved to the beautiful Nilgiri hills with a desire to live in a place surrounded by nature. "We built our house with soil with our own hands, started growing our own food, collecting water from mountain streams and harnessing solar energy for electricity," he shares.

As the couple transitioned to a sustainable and minimalist lifestyle, they also noticed that the same lifestyle was a struggle for rural communities. "Even though we lived in the same surroundings, our lives were very different and stable because of our savings. But for the tribals living here, livelihood was a daily challenge, "says Suhas.

"Apart from tea plucking, rural women had no other regular work. Every morning, they leave their homes and children and go to work in other villages, "she adds. It was then that the couple decided to do something for the neighbouring community.

About five years ago in 2019, the duo founded the Indian Yards Foundation, a social initiative to improve the socio-economic status of tribal communities in the Nilgiris through crafts.

Sunita explains how she has always been inclined towards craft making. "Even when I was working, I always found time to do embroidery and crochet. I will do a lot of research on various crafts and learn from YouTube how to make them. It gave me the idea to bring women and craft-making together and see if we could build a solution around it, "she says.

Starting with patchwork, blankets and home décor products, the couple started training tribal women for the same.

"Through upskilling and capacity building, we have tried to help women become entrepreneurs, not just workers in the factory. But it's not enough to train them. We needed market linkages and support to solve livelihood issues, "shares Suhas.

This demand led to the formation of The Good Gift in early 2023. The startup, which functions as the marketing arm of the Indian Yards Foundation, promotes the economic empowerment of tribal women.

"We created a website to bring the product to the market. Everything is going smoothly, but we still haven't reached our Hero product. So, we tried multiple products and finally zeroed in on fabric dolls and toys, "says Sunita.

Keeping sustainability as the brand's label, the couple strived to hand-make fabric dolls using upcycled textile waste. "Instead of buying new raw materials, we wanted to be as sustainable as possible. In clothing factories, there is a lot of post-production waste, and not all materials are used. So, we recover off-cuts from factories, from bedsheets and cushions, from excess material and from fabrics with faulty prints, "says Sunita.

"There is a growing segment that is moving away from plastic and parents don't like children playing with plastic toys as they are not only hazardous to the environment but also to our health," she adds.

"Plastic Barbie dolls have created a certain beauty standard, for example the image of a certain figure, nose and certain colors. This creates misunderstandings in the minds of children. And we want to change that perception. We promote body positivity, a variety of colors and skin. After all, it is through these dolls that children learn about beauty standards, "she adds.

Within a year, the couple was able to expand their B2B operations and have a presence in 60 offline stores in Chennai, Bengaluru, Goa, Ooty and Coonoor.

Every month they sell 3000 dolls of clothes. His last year's salary was Rs 75 lakh.

"We are happy that through this work we have been able to impart new skills and ensure financial benefits to tribal women. The cycle is complete only when women start earning from it and don't practice the craft as a hobby, "she says.

"Today, most of our women have increased their monthly income from Rs 2,000 to Rs 8-10,000. When we moved to the Nilgiris many years ago, we did not expect this change to be brought about. There's nothing more satisfying than that, "he said. Copy Paraphrase