Undeterred by lack of education or entrepreneurial skills, artisan Pabi Rabari used her embroidery skills to start her own enterprise Pabi Bag. Two years hence, she employs 50 women from her village.

Her enterprise is also an ongoing activism for artistic freedom and expression against her community leaders who had banned hand embroidery, saying girls get ‘‘too involved.” Pabi persisted and decided to promote hari jari embroidery and stitch designer bags.

The bags prepared by her unit are not only sold across India, but also shipped to international clients.

She was one of the 3,000 artisans from across the world to be invited to the recent Santa Fe Folk Art Festival in the United States but could not get a visa to reach there.