From Mushroom Cultivator to Drone Pilot: Story of “Drone Didi” Jagriti Sahu
Jagriti Sahu, from Matwari village in Durg district, Chhattisgarh, not only changed her life but also inspired a lot of people in her journey. She had a dream of becoming a teacher after completing her post-graduate degrees and B.Ed., but destiny had something else for her.
In 2019 she went into mushroom growing. Her initial small venture grew into a great success as she sold mushrooms worth lakhs of rupees. Not stopping at that, she took the initiative to teach other women from the surrounding villages, thereby letting them earn, become independent and develop their self-confidence.
Jagriti did not stop at agriculture. She tried to find a substitute for the chemically produced gulal (a colored powder used in festivals), and made an herbal version from flowers and vegetables grown at home. She earned close to ₹35,000 in her first year selling herbal gulal. Her group had reached a sales turnover of ₹8.25 lakh by the last year.
Her devotion to the upliftment of the community led her to be part of the government “Namo Drone Didi” scheme. She trained as a drone operator and now uses drones to spray pesticides in fields, thereby saving time, cutting costs, and reducing the labor of local farmers.
Currently, Jagriti is not only recognized as the “Mushroom Lady of Durg” but also as “Drone Didi.” She provides vocational training to a lot of women, such as mushroom farming, herbal-gulal production, drone-based farming support, etc., thus, making the transition from dreams to livelihoods possible. Her story reveals how the power of grit and the readiness to change can turn a simple life into a life that supports and empowers not only the individual but also the community.
The reason her story is motivational is because it relates to the difficulties that rural women have in general, such as the shortage of opportunities, adherence to traditional norms and limited access to new technologies. Jagriti has prevailed over them. Her metamorphosis tells us that with bravery and sweat, one can change one’s fate and simultaneously be a source of help to others.
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