Celebrating Navratri with the Stories of ‘Financial Unnatti’

Balco Nagar, Chhattisgarh: “I had a dream but never imagined that my craft skills could open doors to financial independence. Today, I run my business, participate in family decisions, and encourage others to dream bigger,” shares Poonam Singh, a resident of Shantinagar, Balconagar in Chhattisgarh.

Her words mirror the journey of many women in the region who have found strength through Project Unnatti, a women empowerment initiative by Bharat Aluminium Company Limited (BALCO), a unit of Vedanta Aluminium. What once began as small gatherings of women sharing savings and ideas in self-help groups has blossomed into stories of confidence, resilience, and self-reliance.

Poonam recalls how her hobby of making decorative items slowly led her towards, Dekoratti, a micro enterprise of Project Unnatti. “Earlier, I would just create for friends and family. But through Project Unnatti, I learned how to price my work, talk to customers, and even use social media to promote them. Today, when I see my products lighting homes during festivals, I feel proud, not just for myself but for what it means to other women who are inspired by me.”

The festive season is especially significant for women like Poonam, whose creations now travel far beyond her town. “During Navratri, when people decorate their homes, I imagine my products carrying a part of my story into their celebrations,” she says with a smile.

Similar stories of transformation can be heard from women who have turned their talents into sustainable ventures. Rath Bai, who runs a food-based enterprise called Chhattisa, remembers her early days with humility. “At first, I had no idea how to sell food beyond my locality. It was Project Unnatti that showed me how to handle orders and market my products. Today, people come back asking for my snacks. Each repeat customer feels like a friend who believes in me.”

For others, the journey has been about more than business, it has been about breaking barriers of financial dependence. Malti Goswami explains, “Education gave me the basics, but financial training gave me courage. I now manage accounts, calculate profits, and plan for the future. Earlier, I would look for guidance, but today, women from my group look to me for advice. That change in itself feels like empowerment.”

The ripple effect of such journeys is perhaps the most inspiring. Women who once hesitated to speak in public now lead their self-help groups with confidence. “When we sit together, we don’t just talk about savings or schemes,” says Sarla Yadav, another participant. “We talk about goals, we share struggles, and we lift each other up. Slowly, we have learned that our voices matter and together we can go further.”

These narratives capture a deeper truth. Empowerment is not always about big leaps but about steady steps that change the course of lives. With each skill learned, each decision taken, and each enterprise built, women are rewriting what independence means for them and their families.

This Navratri, as communities celebrate the strength and resilience of the feminine spirit, the journeys of Poonam, Rath, Malti, Sarla, and many more women shine as reminders. They are not just creating products or running businesses, they are crafting legacies of self-reliance, proving that when ambition meets opportunity, transformation follows.