Padmapur: Steely will power and perseverance can help one achieve success. This is what Sabitri Behera, a woman of Gadi village under Basudevpur block in Bhadrak, has shown to the world.
She has become self-reliant from incense-making and set an example to other women in the area. She has beaten poverty with her hard work. More importantly, she has also shown other women how to earn money.
Sabitri has been making incense sticks since 2013. She collects raw materials like sticks, charcoal, etc from Soro area. With the help of two women of the village, she has been able to churn out about 100 packets of incense sticks.
A packet of sticks is sold for Rs 85 to 90 in local markets. Some traders from Andarai, Sabaranga, Basudevpur and Chandbali buy the incense sticks from her house. Sometimes, she has to deliver them at others’ houses.
She said, “The two women working with me earn Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000 every month.Giving others scope of earning gives me immense pleasure than what I earn.”
As the problem of unemployment is growing, Sabitri’s story has set an example for the unemployed. With such effort, anyone can be self-sufficient in rural areas, she added.