Lavina Mistik

EMBROIDERY ARTISAN AT EKTA COOPERATIVE

Since starting to work at Ekta Cooperative, Lavina has learned a lot about managing money. She recently made a very special purchase, full of meaning and pride.

Lavina came to Mumbai from Udipi in the South when she was 18 to work as a servant for a family. She stayed with that household for 6 years, until she got married. "Even though I only studied until Grade 5, I can speak English as my employers would always talk to me in English." After her marriage, she did not work outside the home but focused on caring for her son and home. Six years ago, Ekta Cooperative was being established and Lavina saw it as a great opportunity. Many of the women in her neighborhood were also joining. "It was close to where we live, so we could work while also managing our house and children." At one-point Ekta went through difficult times and nearly shut down. Almost everyone left - but Lavina continued. "I had a belief that it would work out somehow. People come and go but that should not be a reason to give up."

When Ekta was reorganized and functional, the members were able to participate in the group savings program. Each member deposits equal amounts and then every month the total is distributed to one artisan in turn. When she got a good sum of money from the fund, Lavina decided to fulfill a longtime dream of buying traditional gold earrings.

She chose "jhumka" earrings, with a rich history in India. Their typical bell shape and jingling drops can be glimpsed in ancient Chola statues and on classical dancers. For women in India, gold jewelry holds a meaning beyond vanity or aesthetics. Aside from symbolizing well-being and good luck, gold is considered an investment: an asset with consistent value protected from financial upheaval and currency changes. Typically, the men heading the family control investments, whether in the form of coins, exchange funds or bonds. Gold jewelry may be the one form a woman can claim as hers, which she can wear and pass down to her children. Lavina is particularly proud that she bought these earrings for herself with her own money.

After this success, she has restarted the monthly savings, with a new goal of buying a laptop for her only son, Leslie. He is in his second year of college, studying Law. A laptop will be most useful for his final year, and both his parents are determined to save enough to get him one.

Ask her what she likes to do in her free time, she says she tries new recipes and improves on them as she is not a good cook. That is difficult to believe as she makes great cakes- every time there is a birthday of an artisan at Ekta, Lavina makes sure to gift them a delicious homemade cake.

Ekta Mahila Mandal Cooperative is a relatively new group of 11 women which went through some growing pains getting established. Women dropped out and others joined, disrupting the training programs. But in the end the artisans' spirit and determination prevailed as they were eager to own their own enterprise providing stable work in their area. Ekta means "Unity" as this mixture of women from different regions and cultures have chosen to stress their common goals. Many are young mothers who have great hopes for their children and are optimistic about the future. They are enthusiastic about learning new things about production, each other's culture, and the world. They chose three terms to describe their group identity: Teamwork, Unity, and Fun!