One small village and five women. COVID. A passion to make something of themselves. One person to bring it all together in interior Karnataka.

That’s Bannada Dhara—meaning coloured thread in Kannada—a small initiative to bring sustainable livelihoods when things got bad during COVID.

When she saw women in her village lose their livelihoods during COVID, Lavanya, saw an opportunity in a tailoring unit, especially making bags and masks. She got together a few women, and they went about this for a few months, slowly expanding their repertoire. Now, five women work with her—three full-time, and two students come in as interns, designing and working with different products.

For Club Artizen, Bannada Dhara created cloth shagun envelopes using a variety of fabrics. These elegant shagun envelopes are reusable and elegant, perfect for any gifting occasion. They have also introduced the reusable cutlery sets to prevent wastage of throw away cutlery.
Pics courtesy: Lavanya J

Our Bannada Dhara Products