Parikshit Mehrotra

Parikshit

ABOUT SELLER

Parikshit Mehrotra, a lean and ordinary looking guy with a technical computer science degree but a non-technical dream of women empowerment. He had been visiting this small village in Malihabad with his father ever since he was a small kid because his father is also a homeopathy doctor who runs a small charitable clinic for the villagers. This is also 'mango belt' and the place where all the chikankari (embroidery) is done which is sold across India. He saw the poor women of the village and the subpar wages they got for their brilliant and intricate chikan embroidery and he saw an opportunity for them.

Parikshit Design Studio was born with the marriage of his technical degree and women's skills. With the good name of his father and support of his friends, he started this venture by teaching girls and women of this village to create beauty out of paper. He taught them quilling art with paper strips, making earrings, show frames, walk clocks, etc. For their hard work, he pays them double the money they used to earn from chiken embroidery.
He says, "I understood that there is immense opportunity in this area to give employment to women and girls and pay them their actual due. I am also very particular about them completing their education. So many girls actually pay their school or college fees with the money they earn through this. Since most parents don't support girl education, I thought it would be a great way to teach them skill as well as give them financial independence. Also, they can't get out of their house to work. So, I provide raw materials, training and everything to them at the door step and they finish the work with remarkable finesse which I sell off. I am mostly in awe of these women and girls who manage their studies, household work and everything else on their own. They work without fans or lights or any fancy infrastructure. I hope one day I can create opportunities for them to earn enough money for everything they want to get"

We hope one day we can create opportunities for these girls to make their dreams come true.