Savni Devi of a village in Balh transforming lives through culinary skills
Munish Sood
MANDI: At Chandyal village in Himachal Pradesh’s Balh valley of Mandi district lives Savni Devi, a woman whose hands have not only stirred pots but also stirred a silent revolution of self-reliance and hope among rural women.
Once dependent on others for a single day’s meal during the dark days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Savni Devi is now a beacon of strength — earning Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 per month through homemade food products and guiding several other women towards financial independence.
Her journey began with adversity. When the pandemic struck, her husband — employed in the private sector — fell seriously ill and work came to a halt. With two sons to look after and no income in sight, Savni turned to what she knew best — her skills with the needle and thread. She borrowed cloth on credit, began stitching face masks and ensured her family never slept hungry. This was her first step toward transformation.
From home kitchen to enterprise
As the situation improved, she joined the Durga Self-Help Group, comprising eight women from her village. Together, they started preparing a wide variety of local delicacies — sira (wheat fudge), bariyan (lentil nuggets), pickles, dalya, rhododendron juice, soy peas, amla candy and savoury snacks — all at a household level.
Their products began to find buyers and Savni’s monthly income began to steadily rise. Her group now prepares nearly 60 kg of sira every month, fetching a market rate of Rs 180 to Rs 260 per kg.
Encouraged by the state government’s support for self-help groups, she received Rs 50,000 for a wheat grinding machine and raw materials and an additional Rs 57,000 under the PM Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) scheme. These funds gave her the infrastructure and momentum she needed to scale her operations.
Training, leadership & impact
Savni didn’t stop there. She received formal training in food processing from the Krishi Vigyan Kendra and now serves as a master trainer, imparting her knowledge of making sira, bariyan, pickles and more to other women. She also leads the Ashish Gram Group as its president.
Her association with the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) further refined her entrepreneurial journey, helping her tap into larger platforms such as Saras Melas organised by the government. Weekend markets at Mandi’s Seri Manch and digital platforms like Him Ira have also become lucrative channels for her products.
During the recent Women’s Day celebration in Sundernagar, she set up a stall selling bhelpuri and lemonade, earning nearly Rs 12,000 in a single day. On Raksha Bandhan and other festivals, she prepares festive items like seviyan, delighting both customers and her family with her culinary creativity.
Changing lives around her
What started as a struggle for survival has blossomed into a movement of empowerment. Women like Nirmala Devi, Aakriti, Payal, Khimi Devi, Anita, Chinta, Maya and Meena from her village are now proud members of her self-help group, earning a respectable income and contributing to their families.
Tara Devi, another woman from Chandyal, shared how she began working with the group to meet her medical expenses while being treated at PGI-Chandigarh. Now, she too enjoys a stable livelihood.
