How Odisha’s Sangita Majhi Turned Challenge Into Opportunity And Became An Entrepreneur
25-year-old Sangita Majhi, who comes from a small place in Odisha, started her puffed rice business five years back and her journey ever since has been one full of learning.
I’ve had the honour of speaking with several grassroots entrepreneurs at the Indian Commemoration of International Women’s Day 2023 at the UN Women India country office, and Sangita Majhi’s story was one that deeply presented itself as a larger representation of several women who beat the odds and rose to forge their own identities.
Sangita Majhi Journey
Growing up in Thakurmunda, Sangita Majhi often wondered about the fate of women in her village. Like most women around her, she, too, got married early as per the norm and did not have the opportunity to pursue further education. “I’m an entrepreneur now but, back then, I did not even know women had the option to even work,” she recalls.
Married off early in the village, Sangita was living a life like most women around her did until she and her family started facing a major financial crunch. “My husband was barely earning enough to sustain the whole family and it was getting difficult to meet our ends.” With the power of digitalisation in her hand, Sangita saw hundreds of inspirational stories of women like her who fought challenges and stepped out to work.