Tirupati woman runs late husband's woodcarving business, supports 100 workers

After her husband died in 2007, Chandrakala took responsibility for the family’s woodcarving workshop in Tirupati. She had to keep orders moving and preserve the trust of skilled artisans. She also had to learn customer management, accounting and business decision-making. Her role changed from being familiar with the craft to leading the enterprise.

She continued the workshop instead of allowing the family business to stop. Support from the Lotus Self-Help Group helped her discuss challenges and find ways forward. Exhibitions and trade fairs in cities including Chennai, Mumbai, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and Delhi helped her reach new buyers. The products are now also supplied through Lepakshi Emporium showrooms.

The enterprise reports annual turnover above Rs 1 crore and provides work to more than 100 people. Chandrakala now wants to expand the business and create work for 500 rural women, carrying the family craft into a wider livelihood network.

Chandrakala’s workshop has grown far beyond its original family scale. Today, it reports annual turnover exceeding Rs 1 crore. It also provides work to more than 100 people. These figures show that traditional craft can support a sizeable enterprise when production and markets expand.

The growth followed Chandrakala’s decision to continue after her husband’s death in 2007. She kept orders moving, managed customers and accounts, and built confidence among artisans. The Lotus Self-Help Group gave her a support network. Exhibitions and trade fairs helped her show woodcarvings to buyers in several cities. Lepakshi Emporium showrooms later provided additional outlets.

The enterprise’s present scale supports both sales and livelihoods. Its future goal is larger still. Chandrakala hopes to create work for 500 rural women, linking business growth with wider employment opportunities in rural communities.

A self-help group is a network where women can share challenges, support one another and strengthen their livelihoods. The article presents the Lotus SHG as a practical community around Chandrakala. It gave her a space to discuss business pressures and consider her next steps after taking over the workshop.

The group’s support mattered because Chandrakala was learning to manage customers, accounts and decisions while keeping artisans confident. Exhibitions and trade fairs became important opportunities to present her woodcarvings outside Tirupati. She travelled to Chennai, Mumbai, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and Delhi. At one fair, her stock sold out before the day ended.

This combination of collective support and market exposure helped turn a local workshop into a growing enterprise. The business now supplies Lepakshi Emporium showrooms in several cities. It reports turnover above Rs 1 crore and employs more than 100 people.

Exhibitions and trade fairs helped Chandrakala move from relying on nearby customers to meeting buyers in larger markets. They mattered because customers could see the woodcarvings directly, while Chandrakala could learn what wider markets wanted. These events also built confidence that a local traditional craft could sell beyond its home area.

She travelled to Chennai, Mumbai, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and Delhi to display and sell the products. At one memorable fair, her stock sold out before the day ended. The key mechanism was direct market access: stalls put products before new buyers and gave Chandrakala experience in presenting and selling them. Lepakshi Emporium showrooms then extended that reach through outlets in several cities.

The result was a stronger commercial path for the workshop. Its woodcarvings reached buyers far beyond Tirupati, while the enterprise grew to more than Rs 1 crore in annual turnover and over 100 workers.

A traditional family craft depends on skilled artisans, but skill alone does not keep a workshop running. The business also needs steady orders, trusted customer relationships, accurate accounts and timely decisions. When a founder dies, these responsibilities can suddenly fall on someone who has not previously managed them alone. The challenge is preserving the craft while building the commercial structure around it.

Chandrakala knew the woodcarving environment from being around the workshop. However, she still had to learn customer management, accounting and business decisions after taking over in 2007. She also needed to maintain artisans’ confidence and keep orders moving. The Lotus SHG, fairs and exhibitions helped her gain support and find wider markets.

Her experience shows how traditional enterprises can remain viable when craft knowledge is matched with management and market access. The workshop now employs over 100 people, while its planned expansion could create work for 500 rural women.

The Lakhpati Didi initiative is designed to help women from self-help-group households achieve sustainable annual household income of at least Rs 1 lakh. Its focus is not only on a single payment or short-term gain. It aims to support a dependable livelihood level for participating families.

The Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission supports that goal through skills, financial support and market opportunities. These forms of help can strengthen women’s ability to build or expand livelihoods. In Chandrakala’s case, collective support and access to wider markets helped a family craft become a larger enterprise.

Chandrakala’s business has moved beyond the Lakhpati Didi income milestone described in the article. It reports turnover above Rs 1 crore and work for more than 100 people. Her next goal is to create work for 500 rural women, showing how livelihood programmes and enterprise growth can connect.

A craft enterprise creates wider employment when it combines artisan skill with management, finance, collective support and access to buyers. Skills protect the quality of the traditional work. Finance and business knowledge help maintain production. Collective networks provide encouragement and problem-solving. Larger markets create enough demand for the enterprise to involve more workers.

Chandrakala’s workshop shows this process. After taking over in 2007, she kept orders moving and maintained artisans’ confidence. The Lotus SHG helped her discuss challenges. Fairs in several cities introduced the woodcarvings to new customers, while Lepakshi Emporium showrooms created further sales outlets. These links helped the local workshop grow.

The business now reports turnover above Rs 1 crore and provides work to more than 100 people. Chandrakala wants to extend that model by creating work for 500 rural women. Its implications reach beyond one family craft: expansion could connect more rural women to income through their skills.