Is the Indian handloom industry dying? How can the strengthening of the handloom industry help women, who make up about 50% of the workforce, become financially independent?___________________________ Sahithi is a social entrepreneur who is working towards the economic empowerment of rural women. She has co-founded Impact Scientist, a rural innovation platform which shares stories of Indian weavers and enables them to sell their products by eliminating middle-men. In this episode, we talk about the current scene and revival of Indian handlooms, impact of COVID-19 on the rural economy, gender equality and financial independence of women. Follow Impact Scientist onWebsite: https://impactscientist.com/Linkedin: https://in.linkedin.com/in/sahithidiviFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/impactscientist/Instagram: @impactscientist Sources:Gender Development Index - http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/table-4-gender-development-indexVandana Shiva’s article - https://www.yesmagazine.org/social-justice/2013/01/19/violent-economic-reforms-and-women/United Nations Sustainable Development Goals - https://sdgs.un.org/goals ___________________________ Mana Taram Podcast is a weekly podcast where Teja and Nayan invite guests from diverse fields ranging from education, business and public policy to arts, culture and food. The podcast is in a conversational mix of Telugu Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/manataram.podcast/ Listen to the podcast onYouTube: https://bit.ly/2E4eWLpSpotify: https://spoti.fi/3h2FUl6Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/3kSwqLpGoogle Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3iJzYxO#indianhandloom #impactscientist #telugupodcast _________________ Chapters00:17 Story behind Impact Scientist05:18 Challenges and revival of Indian handloom industry15:50 Thoughts on design thinking and social entrepreneurship18:26 Impact of COVID-19 on the industry20:34 Role of women in rural economies29:48 Contrast between urban and rural communities34:27 Economic model, patriarchy, and women empowerment43:24 Youth and women in policy making48:15 Can we ever reach an equal society?56:23 Takeaways on social entrepreneurship_______________________________