In rural Madhya Pradesh, Lakshmi Warakade’s transformation from a struggling farm worker to a successful electrician's assistant demonstrates the power of opportunity, determination and community support in breaking the cycle of poverty and inspiring others.
“I thought if I miss this chance, I will lose an opportunity,” Lakshmi Warakade recalled, her eyes beaming with determination. “So I went to Chennai, and now I am happy that I made the right decision.”
In the remote village of Paudi, nestled amidst dense forests in Mandla district of Madhya Pradesh, Warakade’s journey from a struggling farm worker to a successful electrician’s assistant is a testament to her unwavering confidence and resolve.
Financial constraints had forced Warakade to abandon her education after 12th grade. With a differently-abled father and a family dependent on meagre agricultural income, she found herself working alongside her mother in the fields. Their annual earnings barely touched Rs 1 lakh.
However, fate had other plans for Warakade. A chance encounter at a gram sangathan meeting introduced her to Karishma Armo, a community resource person from the Nari Adhikar Kendra (Women’s Rights Center) of the Ekta Sankul cluster-level federation (CLF).
CLFs of Bijadandi are supported by the Transform Rural India (TRI) as a technical agency. This meeting opened doors to a world of possibilities Warakade had never imagined.
“It was very difficult to decide to be away from home,” Warakade confessed. “As a girl, this decision became more difficult. I had to go to Chennai – a different place with a different language – and had no experience of being out of the village.”
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Recognising Warakade’s potential, Ankita Mishra, coordinator of Ekta CLF, invited her for a psychological aptitude and personality test, followed by counselling. This process revealed various skill development and employment opportunities, inspiring Warakade to pursue training as an electrician’s assistant.
However, the path was not without obstacles. Warakade’s parents were initially hesitant about sending their daughter far from home. Mishra stepped in, personally meeting with the family to address their concerns.
“It was very difficult to counsel the mother to send her daughter to take up the job in Chennai, which is too far from Bijadandi,” Mishra recalled. “Her mother was scared of how she would survive. As a mother of a daughter, it is very difficult to send her child that far. But after rounds of discussion about building Lakshmi’s future, her mother agreed.”
With her family’s blessings, Warakade started her journey. She received free residential training under the Deendayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana at the Heraud Institute in Kosamghat, Jabalpur. Upon completion, she was placed at Teel College Company in Chennai for a six-month stint.
Today, Warakade works at Bharat FIH, a mobile company in Tamil Nadu, earning a monthly salary of ₹15,000 – a significant leap from her family’s previous annual income.
Warakade’s mother, once hesitant, now beams with pride.
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“I was hesitant to send my daughter for training and job, but with the help of CLF and TRI, I was able to change my decision,” she said. “Now, I am happy that she is earning and living a good life and also helping the family. I tell the story of my daughter to motivate others.”
Warakade’s journey serves as an inspiration to many in her village. Her story shows the importance of skill development programmes and the crucial role of supportive communities in empowering rural youth, especially women, to break free from the cycle of poverty and build brighter futures.
Mishra noted, “Now, her mother proudly narrates the story of her daughter in women’s collective meetings and inspires others.”
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The lead image on top shows women receiving training at the Heraud Institute in Kosamghat, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. (Photo courtesy TRI).
Ashish Kumar Yadav is an associate practitioner for Transform Rural India (TRI) in Bijadandi, Mandla, Madhya Pradesh.
