BANGALORE: Shyla Kishore of Mathikere never expected that her hobby of knitting will eventually become a source of income for her family. Shylaja has not only become self-reliant but also been providing livelihood for more than 20 senior citizens and widows by providing them with job opportunities.Everything was going well after Shyla’s marriage with Kishore of Mathikere who owned a cloth shop. However, Shyla’s dreams were shattered when Kishore incurred a huge loss in cloth business which ultimately led to him closing the shop. “I did not anticipate such a horrible situation. I was in a dilemma when my husband lost everything in the business. I thought of utilising my training in emboss, knitting, charcoal painting and yoga classes that I underwent 20 years ago,’’ recalls Shyla.With no financial assistance available from others, Shyla started making cushions and saree covers with just ` 200. ‘’I ensured that my husband was not demoralised due to the loss from the business. I assured him that I will earn enough money to maintain our family. Initially, he did not believe me but now he is the happiest man,’’ said Shyla. Come Varalakshmi festival, Shyla will be busy preparing golden trees that form an important part of items for pooja during the festival. “I supply golden trees during Varalakshmi festival and also Christmas celebrations. There is a lot of demand for golden trees from housewives who perform pooja and worship Goddess Varalakshmi,’’ says Shyla.After undergoing all sorts of hardships and becoming self-reliant, Shyla wished to lend a helping hand to girls and housewives. ‘’I counsel girls who are all set to get married regularly. I also supply wedding jewellery to girls who are getting married but their parents can’t afford to buy gold jewellery. They need not pay any money while returning the jewellery to me. There are some people who supply wedding jewellery by collecting Rs 7,000 towards rental. However, I do not indulge in anything of that sort,’’ explains Shyla.So, what are Shyla’s future plans? ‘’I have no any plans for the future. As of now, I am very happy with whatever I earn from the sales of handicrafts. I am extremely grateful to Veerendra Hegde of Dharmasthala for offering stalls free of cost at the exhibitions organised under RUDSET programme,’’ says Shyla with gratitude. And, does she have any memorable moments? “I used to pester my husband to show me Vidhana Soudha after our marriage. He could not fulfil my demands. And, later I took him to the Banquet Hall at Vidhana Soudha when I got an opportunity to participate in an exhibition to sell handicrafts,’’ signs off Shyla.
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