Bracelets of Hope: A Mother’s Fight for Her Family’s Future in Mankhurd, Mumbai

Written By: Sameer Ahmad

The bustling streets of Mankhurd Mumbai are always full of life. It’s a slum community of daily wagers, migrant laborers, and skilled and unskilled workers. They live with their families in one-room homes.

Amidst this vibrant community, we step into a small home where a woman lives with her two children. In one corner of her modest room, she sits crafting beautiful bracelets from thin elastic threads. These are the same stylish bracelets we wear every day.

As we approach Manju Bharti, she smiles and begins to share about her work and her life. She moved to Mumbai with her husband years ago, hoping for better opportunities. But when her father-in-law passed away unexpectedly who was the bread runner of the family and her husband was not able to bear the expenditure of the family, she was left to fend for herself and her children. In those dark times, crafting bracelets became her lifeline.

Each bracelet she creates carries a story. In the market, these bracelets sell for ₹10, ₹20, ₹30, or even as much as ₹100 and ₹200. But have you ever thought about the actual cost of making them? She reveals that the cost is minimal, only 3-10 rupees for making 12 bracelets, but the effort and skill involved are priceless.

For her, making bracelets is not just a job; it’s the foundation of her family’s livelihood. Every rupee earned from these bracelets goes toward providing for her children, ensuring they have food to eat and can attend school. She dreams that they will have opportunities she never had, and this craft is her means to that end.

Despite the challenges, she takes pride in her work. The bracelets are more than just pieces of jewelry; they are symbols of her resilience and dedication. She wakes up early, works late into the night, and still finds time to care for her children and manage her household.

Her story helps us understand how small-scale work can drive significant social change. Women like her, who engage in these endeavors, take steps toward justice and prosperity in their family and personal lives.

The work she does not only grants her financial independence but also enhances her self-esteem and self-reliance. Her story teaches us that the small things we use in our daily lives can bring about profound changes in someone else’s life. In the simple act of creating bracelets, she is weaving a future filled with hope and opportunity for herself and her children.