Manjapai The Yellow Bag That Brings Good Fortune

FOUNDED IN 2014, THIS INITIATIVE NOW PROVIDES JOBS TO MORE THAN 30 WOMEN FROM LOWERINCOME HOUSEHOLDS, INCLUDING DIFFERENTLY ABLED WOMEN

- RACHEL CHITRA

Amanjapai in Tamil culture in colours A of yellow, tinted in red with motifs or writing normally heralds goodwill and auspiciousness when used for special occasions like weddings, birthdays. And for many women now in Manthichi area near Vaigai river Madurai the manjapai or YellowBags have proved to be of good fortune.

Take the case of Prabha (37) with two children. Her traditional, conservative family was okay with her working outside the home and supporting her family with her earnings only because the tailoring unit she was part of was a distance of less than a kilometre from her home. The tailoring unit is an initiative of Tamil Nadu home-grown startup The YellowBag.org. founded in 2014, this initiative now provides jobs to more than 30 women from lower-income households, including differently abled women. Yellow-Bag has not just worked with physically-challenged women but also those with mental challenges and learning disabilities.

Panjavaranam differently-abled (37) is with limited mobility in her feet. But you wouldn't know that when you see her defly plying YellowBag's screen printing units and churning out bag after bag at a tailoring machine, designed for her.