This women-led business in Dehradun is creating quilts as cosy as your dadi's hugs

In the picturesque waadis of Dehradun, as the morning dew settles, children hurry to school, cattle graze in the lush green meadows, and sweater-clad women from neighbouring villages make their way to a three-story workshop. Over hot cups of chai, the women of Purkal Stree Shakti Samiti huddle together, sharing wisdom and laughter as they sew blankets, jackets and quilts that feel as cosy as your dadi’s embrace. Using vibrantly coloured fabrics, they employ appliqué and patchwork techniques to create vibrant motifs featuring flowers, planets, animals, birds and forest landscapes—each creation is nothing less than a work of art.

The brainchild of Chinni Swamy, a painter and alumna of Sir JJ School of Art, Mumbai, Purkal Stree Shakti Samiti was established in 2003 to economically support women while preserving handicraft techniques. After Swamy and her husband left their bustling Mumbai life to retire in the remote village of Pukral in Dehradun, they began to notice blemishes in this idyllic environment: local men were largely alcoholics, and the women were mistreated and suppressed.

To uplift these women and help them become financially independent, Swamy decided to tap into her passion for arts and crafts, teaching them appliqué and patchwork to create beautiful quilts. What started as a one-woman home-based enterprise grew into a three-story workshop by 2020, supported by 250 spirited women, each an artisan creating intricate quilts, blankets, and home furnishings.

However, the 17-year run of growth and success hit a roadblock during the COVID pandemic. Work slowed, offices closed and many of the 170 artisans (who came from 40 different villages) had to be dismissed. At 76, Swamy considered shutting the organisation as it got risky for her to expose herself to the virus. That’s when three young employees—Banee Batta, who had been working at Purkal Stree Shakti Samiti as a designer and marketing and communications professional, along with designers Astha Giri and Aiswarya Enolla Patri—decided to step in.

“The three of us had seen firsthand the impact that this business had on the women and their families, and we had grown deeply attached to the cause. So we told Chinni ma’am, we’ll take over, invested our life savings, and bought the business from her,” recalls Batta. But resurrecting a business during a pandemic is hardly a cakewalk. The husbands of several female artisans, many of whom were daily-wage labourers, had lost their jobs during the lockdowns, and the financial responsibility of supporting their families fell on their wives.

Gradually, the three women—Batta, Giri and Patri—revived the business by opening the workshop for a few women to collect supplies and work from home to avoid any unnecessary exposure to the virus. Something shifted during this time. Women who had once struggled to manage household duties and fully commit to the craft had now become breadwinners of their families, and were entirely focused on the job. Far from being economically dependent, these women were brimming with confidence and self-assurance.

“One of our more cherished stories is of Deepa, a young artisan who isn’t educated and relied on her husband to manage her earnings,” shares Batta. After losing her husband during the pandemic, she was left alone with two children. It was a tough time and she began slipping into depression. To help her through this phase where she lacked support from her in-laws and immediate family, Batta and her team hired her full-time and encouraged her to come to work every day.

“Some days she’d come in and only cry,” shares Batta. “But gradually, with consistent encouragement, she became more confident. Her kids helped her maintain a notebook to track her work and expected earnings. Shortly after, she went to the bank and signed a cheque for the first time. She returned saying how she felt she could now secure her kids’ futures.”

Another heartwarming development at Purkal after the pandemic has been the introduction of memory quilts, inspired by a customer who sent in her late father’s shirts and asked for them to be converted into a quilt. “During COVID, all of us knew someone who had lost a loved one. We thought memory quilts could be healing for them, allowing them to grieve and preserve the memory of their loved one,” says Batta.

Today, around 100 women from nearly 45 villages around Dehradun contribute to this business, many of whom have taken on enterprising leadership roles and are passing on work to other women in their respective villages. “We’re gradually expanding our categories and trying to get into apparel. We want to grow into a full-fledged system that’s supporting 500-700 women over the next five to six years,” explains Batta. “We do want to expand to other cities but we’ll always remain headquartered in Dehradun; there’s a dire economic need here.”

A true example of slow fashion, each product at Purkal Stree Shakti Samiti is hand-sewn and takes anywhere from one to six months to complete, depending on its intricacy. No two designs are identical, and they range from soft baby quilts to vibrant full-sized blankets and cool patchwork jackets. Every piece is distinct not only for its appearance but also for the attention and skill of the artisans who create it. You also have the option of collaborating with their designers to customise a print of your choice.

Just remember that good things take time as you patiently wait for these handcrafted pieces to reach you, since each order requires several hours of precise hand work. Though rooted in the Himalayas, Purkal Stree Shakti Samiti’s customer base extends across the country, and they even ship abroad. Fair pay for artisans producing these labour-intensive pieces is top priority at Purkal, with prices for some items reaching around ₹35, 000. “This is a very intensive exercise and it only makes sense if each woman takes home what she is owed for her hard work,” says Batta. “We don’t want to work for everybody. If you want a product that’s also a piece of art, then you should come to us.”

You can shop products by Purkal Stree Shakti Samiti on their website or DM them on Instagram.