Published on Wednesday, September 2 by Kalpana Jha
Raju and Rani Thakur have a News for us all + a Little-Known Handicraft from Mithila
This last week was very exciting one for everyone at JhaJi Store. With all your love and support, we reached a wonderful milestone.
This isn't just another milestone for the team.
It gave us a moment to reflect on these last few months that have been nothing but amazing for everyone here.
People who we have never met are showering praises on Facebook and in chats on Whatsapp.
I regularly hear my team expressing gratitude that they have discovered work that is meaningful and allows them to earn well.
That in turn is helping them change their lives for the better.
Raju and Rani Thakur recently told me that they are now sending their kids to a better, private school in Darbhanga.
It makes me happy beyond measures.
I am conscious every day about the responsibility a parent feels to ensure the best education for his or her child.
In my opinion, nothing is more important for a child here in Mithila, and much of Bihar.
And am glad that Raju and Rani have taken this decision.
It holds an even more special meaning for me because I have known Raju for a lot of years before he helped me build JhaJi Store.
While JhaJi Store is a business led by women, it is built on the sweat and toil that Raju has poured and nurtured the business from day 1.
It hasn't been long when he was running the show alone.
For the first few batches, before we got a whole team in place, Raju was cutting ingredients, mixing masala, and packing pickles all in a day's work.
Rani joined us a couple of months later when it was obvious that her coaching job isn't coming back since the pandemic has struck. She now lends a hand in packing the pickles.
Together, Raju and Rani are growing up two kids - a son and a daughter.
I hope that you take pride in knowing that your decision to buy pickles from JhaJi Store has helped these kids attend a better school.
I feel truly humbled to contribute to the lives of people in this way.
On behalf of Raju, Rani and everyone here at JhaJi Store, I express our gratitude for all the love and support you have sent our way.
If you have a friend who'll appreciate what we're doing and enjoys pickles, please forward them this newsletter and invite them to try the pickles.
It's your little actions that count that are helping people build a better world here in Mithila :)
In other news from Mithila, Darbhanga Postal Division launched new postal covers that feature the Sikki Grass Art from Mithila.
It's done to promote this beautiful handicraft from this region.
The Sikki Grass, or Khus grass, grows everywhere in Mithila. The craft is generations old.
You can see an example below.
And if it sounds interesting to you, let me know.
I'll cover this in more depth in a future post.
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