Arrival at Jaipur, India!

Hi guys, here's our first post from Corey in India! We wish her all the best in her internship with Jaipur Rugs.

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Surviving 28 hours of traveling, I arrived in Jaipur, India a little over a week ago, eager to start my mentorship under Mr. N.K. Chaudhary at the Jaipur Rugs Foundation (JRF). Registered under the Public Trust Act 1959, JRF was established in 2004 as a welfare initiative of Jaipur Rugs Company (JRC). JRF seeks to protect and empower its weavers, 70% of whom are women, through various initiatives, including mobilization campaigns, capacity-building trainings, and microfinance assistance.

During my mentorship, I will focus on JRF’s microfinance assistance initiative in Thanagazi, a region of the Alwar District of Rajasthan. JRF’s microfinance assistance initiative centers on the formation of self-help groups (SHGs). The SHG model was initiated by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) in the early 1990s and links informal groups of women in rural areas to the mainstream banking system. Currently, JRF has formed 55 SHGs (11-17 women in each) in Thanagazi. Through comprehensive observation, research, and feasibility studies, I will assist JRF in developing a strategy for its SHG program in order to improve its effectiveness, facilitate its expansion, and ensure its sustainability.

My mentor is Mr. N.K. Chaudhary, Managing Director of JRC, Owner of Atlanta-based Jaipur Rugs Incorporated (JRI), and Trustee of JRF. After graduating from the University of Rajasthan, Mr. N.K. Chaudhary traveled to Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan, and bought two looms, which he installed in his home. Once he familiarized himself with carpet-weaving, he expanding his weaving business by adding six more looms in his house and installing additional looms in Churu, a nearby village. In 1978 Mr. N.K. Chaudhary started a rug export business and has not turned back since. Soft-spoken and kind-hearted, Mr. N.K. Chaudhary possesses an unparalleled determination to rid the carpet-industry of its exploitative practices, connect the rural poor with the markets of the rich, and use carpet-weaving to uplift deprived and underprivileged communities of India from poverty. His strong work-ethic, unwavering perseverance, and deep commitment to social justice will undoubtedly transform the carpet industry.

Although my work was limited to the office last week – learning about JRC and JRF, assisting in documentation, and researching the carpet-industry, the culture of India, and social enterprise - I had the opportunity to travel to the field this week. Accompanied by a JRC employee, another intern and a quality-supervisor (the role of the quality-supervisor is to ensure that the weavers are producing high-quality carpets), I traveled to the village of Narhet in Thanagazi to observe some weavers at work. Not used to seeing a foreigner, a crowd of smiling adults and curious children followed me from loom to loom. After I adjusted to my newfound fame, I was able to take in the carpet-weaving process. Whether wooden or iron, each of the looms we visited seemed colossal, towering over the 2-3 weavers who worked on them. Additionally, I was shocked at how grueling the carpet-weaving process was. Following a design map, the weavers make each carpet by tying thousands and even millions of knots, depending on both the size of the rug and the type of weaving material, on the hundreds of strands of string mounted between either ends of the loom. It is a grueling and laborious process that takes 4-6 months of eight-hour long days. Despite the intensity of their jobs, the weavers that I observed carried out their responsibilities with a sense of composure. Without breaking a sweat, they tied rows of knots at lightening speed, cut each knot with one swift swoop, and even turned the design blueprint into a song that they sang to each other. Watching the weavers was not just a learning experience, but it truly was inspirational. It gave even more meaning to the needs of the weavers, the mission of JRF, and the vision of Mr. N.K. Chaudhary.

-Corey