After conquering cancer, 55-yr-old launches crusade to empower women
BALURGHAT: In 2003 when Poli Mandal was diagnosed with cancer, she broke down thinking that it was the end of the road for her. However, the fighter that she is, she conquered the
killer disease.
At present, she has taken up the crusade of helping helpless women become self-reliant by economically empowering them. The-55-year-old has been making carpets and training women in this craft.
Poli resides in Balurghat block’s Pollapara. Married 21 years ago, she resides with her daughter now. She had left her in-laws’ house alleging physical and mental torture. Mandal was diagnosed with cancer in 2003. At that time, while undergoing treatment, she understood what ‘helplessness’ truly meant. She also observed how codependency and lack of finances makes life miserable for a helpless woman.
After defeating cancer, she got a contractual job at a local state-run Sishu Sisksha Kendra (SSK) but she did not forget the helpless situation of the past. She felt that there are many helpless women like her in society and wanted to do something for them.She went to a relative’s house in the Fulbari area of South Dinajpur where she had a tryst with hand-woven carpets. After she returned to Pollapara, she opened a carpet making training centre. In 2018, she first started working with 4-5 women. Gradually, the number started to increase.
At present, around 60 women work at her centre. They all earn by weaving carpets. Almost all the colourful carpets made in her centre are bought by a reputed company in Varanasi. All materials for making the carpets are supplied by that company. It takes about one month to make a carpet. By doing this, women can earn Rs 10,000 to Rs 12,000 per month as remuneration. Mandal has named her carpet training centre ‘Ashar Alo Carpet Training Centre’. Most of the women who are currently working there are destitutes.
“I have understood what helplessness is by being a victim of the situation. Since then I have decided to make helpless women self-reliant. My only goal is to light the lives of helpless women in the coming days by making them economically independent.”
