Our first Micro Entrepreneur is Mahinder a 34 year old man from India who has been making effigies of Ravana since his childhood days.
Dussehra & Ravana
Ravana is a mythological villain in Hinduism and every year a festival called Dussehra is celebrated in India. A festival in which massive sculptures of Ravana and his two brothers is burnt down in every second street of India, celebrating Hindu God Rama's victory over Ravana who had kidnapped Rama's wife and imprisoned her in his kingdom.
Mahinder's Story
Mahinder has a huge family consisting of his mother, his wife, two sisters and two kids. Every year during the month of August, he starts working on Ravana's effigies that stands 40-50 ft tall and are built using bamboo. The work load is so much that they have to start working on these sculptures atleast 2 months in advance. He learned this art from his mother who was sitting right besides him giving him instructions in case he goes wrong. You can also see his two kids sitting right besides him learning this tedious art so that they can take over their Dad's business when they grow up.
When I mentioned that word 'business' Mahinder clinched and said, “this is not a business, it's merely an income', further adding, 'it won't make me a big business man someday, it's just something that brings food and shelter." I wouldn't call this modesty, because he hardly gets to earn any profit out of it, considering the amount of hard work and artistic ideas that he puts into it.
How Much Does He Bring Home?
I asked him, “Do you mind if I ask you how much you are able to make in a year?”
“Much less than your monthly income ma'am.” he replied politely.
The downside of this business is that it's seasonal, hardly a 2 and half month affair, so what does he do rest of the year?
Well, India is a country of many festivals, so he just sells stuff that people like to buy during these festive days, he occasionally puts up a food stall for local laborers. Ironically, the sculptures that he builds are usually filled with fireworks, but Mahinder does not believe in fireworks and it is the only product that he refuses to sell during festivals.
His Art
So how many effigies does he make in one season? There are thousands effigies sold in New Delhi alone, he contributes about a hundred and every year he falls short of them.
Other than laboriously constructing these 50 feet tall sculptures without using any tools what so ever, his job is to decorate the sculpture as well. Make Ravana's face and his clothes, making sure that it is a perfect replica. Ravana, is also accompanied by his two brothers, that are a little short in height but require equal amount of hard work. And did I mention Ravana had 10 heads?
Well, he did, so Mahinder has to create 10 heads for each sculpture. What fascinated me the most is that his hands worked like magic on those bamboo sticks, all he uses is a steel wire that helps in holding the sculpture together. The construction requires the perfect physics of bending the bamboo sticks in the right way and carefully tying them together using the steel wire.
It's a pity that he hardly earns enough for his family in spite of so much hard work and his amazing artistic capabilities. But he has immense pride in what he does and wishes to continue working like this for the rest of his life.
Kudos to such determination, and respect for his hard work. I wish him all the success in the world and hope that someday he recognizes himself as a business man and reaches unexpected heights.
Have a look at the video below to see how Dussehra is celebrated every year in India:
Do share Mahinder's story among your friends, I'm sure he will be a source of inspiration for many. And if you know of some micro entrepreneur like him, then do let us know.
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