Penned By Board Member, Alo Pal
Anandi had a very difficult childhood. When she lost her mother at the age of seven, her maternal grandmother took her in and brought her up. Despite the challenges she faced early in life, Anandi went on to complete a two-year diploma in nursing and was recruited by a local hospital through campus placements. She later moved to a company where she worked as a data entry operator for a higher salary.
In 2018, at the age of 20, Anandi got married. Her husband is a fisherman who faced a failed business opportunity after being duped into paying a substantial sum as an advance to a contractor. The family faced financial difficulties, but they continued to work towards building a more secure future. Today, her husband and his brother own their own fishing boat, purchased with a loan that they are still repaying. It is a significant step towards building their livelihood, even as they continue to work through their financial commitments.
Anandi is now a mother of two young daughters who attend private schools. Determined to contribute to her family’s income, she has continued to look for opportunities to develop her skills and build a livelihood of her own. She worked through her first pregnancy and during the COVID-19 pandemic, when she worked from home, but gave up her job during her second pregnancy. It was then that she began looking at ways to return to work and improve her family’s financial situation.
Anandi learnt about Sharana’s Digital Lab course for women and enrolled. Her previous experience in data entry made it easier for her to follow the course, and she was able to strengthen her digital skills and learn functions that she knew would improve her prospects of securing better employment.
It was around this time that she learnt about Sharana’s MSME workshop in food processing. Having learnt to prepare pickles from her aunt, she saw the workshop as an opportunity to build on what she already knew and explore the possibility of starting her own business. Held in November 2025, the workshop introduced her to the preparation of pickles, squash, baked goods and milk products such as paneer, giving her a wider range of products and skills to explore.
In May 2026, Anandi received a loan of ₹20,000 through Sharana’s Social Entrepreneurship Programme (SEP). With this, she purchased an OTG oven, a sealing machine, a weighing machine and ingredients to begin developing her business. Today, she makes cakes to order and continues to build her customer base. When the government organises events, she joins fellow women who participated in the MSME workshop to run temporary government stalls, where they sell their products. These opportunities allow her to put her skills into practice, reach customers and work towards increasing her income.
Anandi is keen to continue learning and developing her business. Thanks to Sharana’s ongoing collaboration with Villa Shanti, she had the opportunity to participate in a baking class at one of Pondicherry’s premier restaurants. The experience gave her another opportunity to learn, improve her techniques and explore ways to develop the quality and range of her products. She hopes to expand her business over time and increase her contribution towards raising her daughters and running her household.
Sharana’s Digital Lab helped Anandi strengthen her existing skills, while the MSME food-processing workshop introduced her to a new interest and opened up another possible source of income. Through the Social Entrepreneurship Programme, she was able to take the next step by investing in the equipment she needed to start her business. Each opportunity has allowed her to build on the previous one, moving from learning new skills to putting them into practice and developing a livelihood of her own.
Yet, when asked what she had gained most from Sharana, Anandi’s answer was not about the courses she had completed or the business she was building. It was “Sisterhood.” Before joining Sharana, she had felt isolated and cut off from the world. Through Sharana, she found companionship, a sense of belonging and a community of women with whom she could learn and grow.
Anandi’s journey is one of resilience and determination. Despite the difficulties she has faced, she continues to explore new opportunities, develop her skills and work towards a better future for her family. With Sharana alongside her, she is building not only a livelihood but also the confidence and connections to keep moving forward.
