Forty-seven years ago, Chanda Shroff was helping out at a Ramakrishna Mission event in Kutch when she noticed that locals refused to accept free food and preferred to work for it. She also realised that the women wore exquisite embroidery, which they worked on personally and only for themselves. Initially, she requested the artisans to create 30 saris that were sold out and earned them well. Soon, she began receiving postcards from villages across Kutch, requesting her to help them too. This led to the foundation of the Shrujan (creativity in Sanskrit) Trust.

Ami Shroff (in centre) with artisans