Dare to dream with Rhea Punjabi

When a woman steps into the shoes of motivation driven by a larger purpose, there’s nothing that can stop her. Such is the endeavor of a woman entrepreneur Rhea Punjabi. Here is her story. Lucknow, the capital city of the most populated state in India, Uttar Pradesh, is a city home to the unique art of chikankari and has had generations, since medieval times, perfecting and pioneering this handicraft. But with the modern time and the evolution in fashion towards fast styles, the art was swiftly dying. The only high point, in work demand, these artisans had was about 6 months in a year, with a meagre income. In addition to this, the craftsmen engaged in this have been primarily women; and watching their livelihoods drip down from their hands was allowing a great potential to get needlessly drained. Rhea figured that it was time she took a step to hit two birds with one stone- establish a modern name in a unique, heritage craft and revive the position of women chikankari crafters.

That is how Rhea, mother of two daughters, who were quite young then devoted herself to the plight of these artisans. She along with her husband Vinod Punjabi co-founded ‘Ada’. A brand with a purpose that has today crossed the geographical boundaries to become the largest chikankari brand in the world. She, along with her husband Vinod Punjabi, co-founded the venture in 2005; with the mission to make this a world-renowned brand and globally demanded craft.

Rhea is part of the generation that witnessed first-hand, the evolution of the internet and digital space. She saw how online access made even the unthinkable, possible. She decided to leverage the opportunity and after establishing the physical showroom in Lucknow itself, became actively invested in spreading awareness of craft in the digital space, with chikankari- its rarity and finesse. She published a prolific number of articles online, brought in comprehensive media coverage, and set up networks to enable worldwide delivery of Chikankari products.

Today, Ada delivers across India and in more 80 countries across the globe. Rhea, with her efforts too, has successfully revived the livelihoods of many women engaged in the chikankari handicraft. Ada itself proudly consists of 90% women workforce.

SOURCE: https://medium.com/@rheapunjabii/dare-to-dream-with-rhea-punjabi-1d96101d6a3e?sk=4cece1065d69956b55e695c6a1e66cf8