My Maharashtra: Buy Wardhini products and help the farmers of Wardha Maharashtra

The women of Wardha, Maharashtra have formed a self-help group named Wardhini in an endeavour to raise themselves out of poverty. In the footsteps of Gandhiji, they are reviving the cottage industry, weaving khadi, making clay products, and creating products which combine aesthetics and functionality.

Wardhini products include perfumed candles, terracotta tiles, terracotta jewellery, jute and khadi bags, handmade paper products, etc. I recently visited the 2011 Handloom and Handicrafts Expo at the Bandra reclamation, Mumbai and bought some of their wonderful products (see images below)

The name "Wardhini" is another name for Goddess Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth and prosperity. Wardhini is a joint venture of self-help groups and the farmers of Wardha towards self-reliance and self-empowerment. In addition to the aforementioned products, Wardhini sells a wide range of organically cultivated food products which are free of chemical fertilizers. This initiative is supported by the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) and the Swarnajayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana (SGSY), a flagship poverty alleviation program of the Govt.