Smriti Morarka is an Indian social activist reviving handwoven cloth and improving mental health. In 2019 she was awarded the "Woman Power Award"

Nari Shakti Puraskar The Nari Shakti Puraskar () is an annual award given by the Ministry of Women and Child Development of the Government of India to individual women or to institutions that work towards the cause of women empowerment. It is presented by the presi ...

by the

President of India The president of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, and the commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the Indian Armed ...

International Women's Day International Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated on 8 March, commemorating women's fight for equality and liberation along with the women's rights movement. International Women's Day gives focus to issues such as gender equality, reproductive righ ...

in recognition of the example she has made.

Life

Morarka was educated at

Welham Girls' School Welham Girls' School is a private boarding school for girls located in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India. History The school was founded by Hersilia Susie Oliphant, who had previously set up Welham Boys' School. She named the schools after her ...

Sophia College for Women Sophia College (Autonomous) is an undergraduate women's college established in 1941 by Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is affiliated to the University of Mumbai. The governing body of The Society for the Higher Education of Women in In ...

and

Loreto College, Kolkata Loreto College is a Catholic women's college in Kolkata, India. Affiliated with the University of Calcutta, the college focuses on liberal arts and sciences. It was established in 1912 by the Religious Order of the Institute of the Blessed Virgi ...

where she studied history and Political Science. Her family collected art. Her mother had created a National Institute specialising in Indology, Religion and Cultural Studies in

Varanasi Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.* * * * The city has a syncretic tradition of I ...

. She met the hand loom weavers who were finding it very difficult to find buyers for their work in Karsi. Morarka started a brand named "Tantuvi" in 1998 with the ambition of selling their work despite the general decline in the industry. Tatruvi is a

sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

word that means "weaver". She regarded Tantuvi as her third child and the work created by the 80-100 weavers she has working occupy six days of her week. She realised that she would need to improve the way business was made. She knew that although the hand woven products were going to have to be expensive, but she saw that the quality was unequalled, even though the industry was "hanging on a thread". Previously the fabric had been bought very cheaply by dealers who then the work at high prices. She has built a model where the weavers get a fair share of the profits. She decided to concentrate on the creation of

saree A sari (also called sharee, saree or sadi)The name of the garment in various regional languages include: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * is a drape (cloth) and a women's garment in the Indian subcontinent. It consists of an un-stit ...

s which would sell at about 50,000 rupees. She was given the

award in 2019. The "2018" award was made in the Presidential Palace by the President of India. Prime Minister

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India since 2014. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Par ...

was present. Morarka is a trustee of the Manotsav Foundation which is concerned with mental health.

Private life

She is married to the industrialist Gautam R Morarka. They have two children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morarka, Smriti Indian women activists Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Welham Girls' School alumni Nari Shakti Puraskar winners