Sunayana Vishwakarma

CO-OP MANAGER AT UTSAAH COOPERATIVE

HER LEADERSHIP STYLE: "As a group, we move ahead and celebrate all our achievements together, but when something goes wrong, I take responsibility for it as the manager."

JOINING UTSAAH: Sunayana worked for 10 years as a tailor before joining the Sahara clothing collective. When Sahara closed in 2021, the artisans were offered a chance to start a new independent business. "Everyone was scared, including me, but I saw this as a great opportunity. I learned about handling issues between the new and old members. Today I manage everything. MarketPlace saw my potential and pushed me, and I am really thankful for that."

Sometimes the key to succeeding is the ability to pivot. Sunayana's plans changed numerous times, but she kept looking for the best way forward. Growing up in Mumbai, her mother taught her basic sewing and tailoring. For 10 years she dedicated herself to working as a professional tailor. She kept learning and improving her skills so that she could earn well. This occupation ended when she married and moved to her husband's native village. She was not unhappy with the change as she liked many things about village life. However, opportunities for earning were scarce and income from farming was not enough to support the family of 4. "So, we decided to move back to Mumbai and restart our lives," she explains.

After returning, Sunayana joined Sahara Collective as a tailor. Until it closed. In 2021 Sahara's administrative problems caused it to cease production and working with MarketPlace. The now-former members were invited to start a new cooperative of their own. However, because Sahara had been established and run by one individual, the women had not been actively involved in management. They were scared and skeptical that they were capable of the organizing and management involved. Sunayana was the only one with the courage, foresight and drive to take up the challenge. She became the Manager of the new Utsaah Cooperative and had to quickly learn all the processes and procedures. She made some mistakes, such as cutting fabric before it had been approved by MarketPlace Mumbai, but she learned from her errors.

Managing the women was also a huge challenge as the former Sahara members had to adjust to a whole new way of working and of understanding what it meant to work as a cooperative. In the beginning there was a lot of confusion and conflicts, but Sunayana learned how to handle the issues that arose, all while maintaining high standards. "One thing I have come to realize is that as a group we move ahead and celebrate our achievements together when it comes to something going wrong, I need to take responsibility for it as a leader."