Creative moms get busy with craftworks

Summer vacation is a real time off for busy homemakers. As their morning schedule is not very hectic, as it usually is when children have to be sent off to school or college, they can heave a sigh of relief and do their daily chores in a bit leisurely manner. Many homemakers in the city have evinced interest in resuming their abandoned hobbies or learning new things during the summer to utilise their leisure time for productive purpose.

The vocational training camps started by Sri Durga Malleswara Siddhartha Mahila Kalasala and Kakaraparti Bhavanarayana (KBN) College have evoked a good response from homemakers. A good number of housewives have enrolled their names to pursue vocational courses at the training camps.

The courses offered at the vocational training camps include tailoring, maggam work, saree rolling, glass painting, mehendi decoration, clay modelling, paper and hand bag making and beautician course. Jan Shikshan Sansthan has come forward to let their trainers teach vocational courses to women at the summer camps.

While some enthusiastic women say they want to learn something new during the vacation to pursue it as a hobby, others are putting serious efforts to attain perfection in the chosen trade to make it a livelihood. Jan Shikshan Sansthan will give away certificates to women after successful completion of the vocational courses. It will also extend help to the women to get bank loans for setting up small business units for their self-sustenance. The course fee is quite affordable.

M Seethamma, a trainer of Jan Shikshan Sansthan, said, “This is the right time for women to come out and learn something new. Vacation for children is vacation for mothers as well. As of now, 40 enthusiastic women are undergoing training in tailoring at the vocational training camp at SDM Siddhartha Mahila Kalasala. We teach them how to cut a fabric and stitch it. About 30 items will be covered during the course of two-month duration.”

S Krupa, who runs a maggam work unit at home, has been roped in for teaching at the vocational training camp. Women will be trained in how to work with embellishments, stones and patterns. After completion of the training, women can set up small units on their own for self-reliance. “We just ask them to bring their own material like frames, special needles used for maggam work, stones and beads. The duration of the course is 45 days,” she said.

K Vijaya Rohini of Entrepreneurship Development Cell of Mahila Kalasala, said, “We will start new courses like mehendi application, glass painting and more from Monday. The duration of the courses depends on the nature of the trade. Classes are held from 10 am to 1 pm every day.”

By Ch Sowmya Sruthi