Koraput, Feb 20: In the remote hills of Kotia, a small village in Odisha’s Koraput district, Kanchan Tadingi, a 40-year-old woman from the tribal Kandha community, has become a beacon of hope for countless women. With education only up to the 8th grade, this simple, determined woman has transformed the lives of illiterate and marginalized women in her community through her skill, perseverance, and vision.

For over eight years, Kanchan has been working tirelessly to make women self-reliant. She has trained more than 50 women under three Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in the art of broom-making, turning what was once a laborious and exploited craft into a source of pride and income. Before her intervention, middlemen often cheated women collectors, and their hard work went largely unrewarded. Kanchan decided to change that.

She took a bold step—bringing women together, forming SHGs, and personally guiding them. To sharpen their skills, she even took some members to Rayagada, where they learned advanced broom-making techniques: cutting brooms to uniform size, tying them neatly, packing them for sale, and pricing them by weight. On returning to Kotia, the women were ready to apply these skills, and Kanchan taught the methods to the entire group. Today, the women of Kotia produce attractive brooms that fetch double the previous market price.

Kanchan now serves as an advisor to three SHGs, and the women under her guidance have become adept at collecting, preparing, and selling brooms. The income they earn is equally distributed, empowering them to manage household expenses and invest in their children’s education. Her own family participates in this enterprise, and together they have expanded into cultivating flowers, chamomile, and mint—creating a new model of rural economic development.

Her efforts have not gone unnoticed. Jetali Hantal, head of the Patangi Agricultural Producers’ Association, says, “Without Kanchan’s determined leadership, such an initiative in Kotia would never have succeeded.” Today, the brooms made by Kotia women reach markets across the state and beyond, including Bhubaneswar, Jagdalpur, Nagpur, Vijayawada, and Visakhapatnam.

Kanchan’s story is not just about brooms—it is about vision, determination, and empowerment. She has proven that with strong willpower and dedication, even those with limited formal education can inspire change and create sustainable progress. The women of Kotia now walk a path illuminated by her example, standing on their own feet and contributing to the strength of their community.

In the hills of Kotiya, Kanchan Tadingi has become more than a name—she is a symbol of women’s empowerment, a testament to the fact that where there is determination, there is always a way forward.