SHAKTHI 2005: Warp and weft on display at the MOOWES exhibition in Chennai. — Photo: K.V. Srinivasan .

CHENNAI: Printed salwar kameez sets, hand-crafted white metal jewellery, jewellery boxes and jute bags of various colours and sizes with multiple utility, batik-printed bedspreads, decorative garlands, juice, jams and jelly, vathal and short eats — all made by women entrepreneurs are on display at Shakthi 2005, till October 2.

Organised by Moowes (Marketing Organisation of Women Entrepreneurs) at the Vijayaraja Thirumana Mandapam in I Avenue Road, Shastri Nagar, the exhibition was inaugurated by Akhila Srinivasan, managing director, Shriram Investments.

Women's empowerment

Citing the example of the Grameen Bank movement of Bangladesh, she said that in a country such as India where women account for 50 per cent of its population, development of self-help groups through micro-credit financing, income generation and marketing was the way to the empowerment of women.

"Empowerment happens when the women have the freedom and choice to do what she wants to pursue in life," she said pointing out that the country could not improve if women were kept out of the process of income generation.

Training for craftsmen

Vanitha Srinivasan of the National Jute Development Council said that jute was still considered simply "gunny bag material," and not as a designer product. The Council could send craftsmen to train NGOs who could finance the training programmes.

There was also a micro-finance scheme, which offered interest-free loan of Rs. one lakh for a period of five years, but was disbursed only in phases.

Sita Ranganathan, president, Moowes, and Janaki Ananth, secretary also participated. The exhibition will be on between 10.30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

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