Our team

 

 

Name: Pushpa V

Pushpa hails from a family of weavers in Bangalore. She has several years of experience working in a garment factory in Bangalore before moving to Melkote post marriage. She has been weaving for the last three years. Pushpa is expert in making stoles. She loves to listen to music and enjoys watching good movies.

 



Name: Ragini

About: Ragini has been working as a weaver in Janapada Khadi for the last six years. She appreciates many things about the work atmosphere at Janapada Khadi. She particularly values the financial transparency. She loves everyday prayer meet which helps in steering her day in the right direction with positive thoughts.

 

 

Name: Savita K 

About: Born and brought up in Huligere, a small village near Melkote, Savita comes from a family of farmers. She joined Janapada Khadi about 15 years ago. Since then Savita has weaved hundreds of metres of fabric. She feels that Janapada Khadi is her own enterprise because she owns a part of the ownership. 

 

 

Name: Savita M 

About: Born and brought up in Boremagala koppalu. She comes from farmers community. She has been working at Janapada Khadi from last seven years. Since then Savita has weaved hundreds of metres of fabric. She values Janapada Khadi because all the decisions are taken based on consensus. 

 

 

 

Name: Savita 

About: Savita was born and brought up in Bhadravati and moved to Melkote after marriage. She has been working here as a weaver especially of shoulder bags and placemats. Having lost her husband a few years ago, Savita works hard to support her children’s education. Savita likes to sing as much as she likes listening to good music.

 

 

Name: Ashok Kumar  

About: Born and brought up in Shriranga Patna. After finishing his under-graduation, he joined Janapada Seva Trust as a fellow and expertised in natural dyeing. He enjoys working with natural colours and loves theatre, art as well as music. 

Name: Prakash

About: Displaced from farming and agriculture due to droughts, Prakash joined JST two years ago to sustain himself and feed his family. Since then, Prakash has been involved in warping. Prakash takes pride in his work and feels valued when visitors from other parts of the country and the world visit JST and appreciate the work done there. He enjoys the exposure trips and theatres organised by the trust.

Name: Shanthamma

About: Shanthamma works as a bobbin winder for the last eight years. She came to be associated with JST though her husband who used to work as a weaver at the weaving centre. Shanthamma was making leaf plates before she became a bobbin winder. She does winding from the confines of her home and feels grateful that at this age she is able to support a few livelihoods from her homestead in exchange for a meager income to support herself. Bad yarn is Shanthamma’s biggest pet peeve.

Name: Bhagya

About: Bhagya has been supporting JST for the last eight months through bobbin winding. When leaf plate business unit shut down due to the decline in demand, she was rendered jobless. Her friend introduced her to JST and since then, she has been winding bobbin. She also supports her husband in tailoring. Like other women, she is grateful to be able to enjoy some financial independence by working from home.

Name: Mahalaskhmi 

About: Mahalakshmi, like other women in her neighbourhood was rehabilitated by JST through the bobbin winding work after the leaf plate making unit shut down. She has been supporting JST’s work for the last three years. Through the winding work, she is able to offer financial support to her family.

Name: Chikkanarasimha Shetty 

About: Chikkanarasimha Shetty has had long years of work experience weaving silk sarees at the Weavers Cooperative Production and Society Limited at Melkote. However, the cooperative shut down a few years ago and Shetty joined JST as a bobbin winder. He feels grateful to be able to be relevant and contribute to the weaving industry. 

Name: Nirmala 

About: Nirmala has been a part of JST since 2016. Nirmala manages marketing, social media and helps with office work. She also does weaving particularly shoulder bags and placemats. She enjoys being part of the Khadi activity. She says that the homely environment at Janapada Khadi and its inspirational leadership drives her to give her best every day.

Name: Anthony Swamy

About: Anthony Swamy grew was fostered by Karunagraha, the centre for differently abled children run by the Janapada Seva Trust from the age of 14. Since then, he has been with the trust, looking after office work and financial matters relating to Janapada Khadi. Anthony feels extremely proud to be a part of one of the last few Khadi communities in the country.

Name: Raghu G N 

About: Raghu manages the exhibitions of Janapada Khadi. He volunteered with the Janapada Seva Trust a couple of years ago and was drawn by its values and activities. He quit his lucrative yet mundane desk job to work in the Khadi sector. Raghu enjoys interacting with consumers and creating awareness on sustainable consumption and the values associated with Khadi.

Name: Kripa Ramachandran

About: Kripa helps in developing contents for the website and social media. She has done her masters in development studies from the University of Sussex. Kripa aspires to live a minimally wasteful and non-violent life. She enjoys art, history, native foods and local fashion.

Name: Sumanas Koulagi

About: Sumanas coordinates Janapada Khadi activity. He holds a doctoral degree in International Development from the University of Sussex. He loves wildlife and is interested in development, an indispensable dynamic of present-day existence.