Una, March 18- If there is a passion to achieve something, eagerness to learn and a desire to give a new direction to the society with one's skill, then success is not limited to one person, but inspires and benefits the entire society. With this thinking, 43-year-old Ajay of Dagdun village of Arlu Khas Panchayat of Bangana subdivision of Una district not only achieved success in his life with beautiful bamboo products, but also showed the path of self-reliance to many women of the village. Ajay's success story is also an example of how social media can be used to learn useful life skills.
He used YouTube to learn new skills. By making handmade decorative and useful bamboo products, he not only made himself self-reliant, but also set up the banner of Jagriti Bamboo Craft and provided means of livelihood to many other people through it. His hard work, innovation and indomitable will to learn have taken him to new heights of success. Today he is earning 50 to 60 thousand rupees every month and is also showing the path of economic empowerment to many women. His success is a source of inspiration for everyone as well as an inspiring story of adopting an eco-friendly lifestyle and using natural products.

The journey to success was interesting
Life changed with the learnings from YouTube
Ajay says that his journey has been very interesting. After studying hotel management, he started working in a company in Baddi in 2007. After working there till 2012, he returned to Bangana and joined the education sector. In 2017, he started a business by taking the agency of a herbal company, but the work came to a halt during the lockdown in the year 2020.
In his free time at home, he decided to learn something new from YouTube. There he watched videos of making products from bamboo and got interested in them. Gradually, he acquired expertise in this art and decided to turn it into a business and from here Jagriti Bamboo Craft was born.

The government and administration supported his growing steps
The first product he made was the base of the tricolor flag to be kept on the table and showed it to the then BDO of Bangana. His appreciation boosted Ajay's confidence. After this, he got support from DC Una and DRDA. He got the opportunity to work in a 6-month project of NABARD. 25 women were trained under this project. With the support of DRDA and NABARD, Ajay got the facility to set up stalls in big fairs of the state, which gave momentum to his business. Recently, in the Shivratri fair held in Mandi and Gandhi Shilp Bazaar of Kullu, he did a business of more than 50 thousand rupees in 10 days. Apart from this, he has also set up a permanent outlet in Bangana and is now trying to use online platforms for sales.

Ajay says that the District Administration Una provided machinery worth about Rs 2 lakh to give a more refined look to his handmade products, which gave him great convenience in his work. Director of Rural Development Department Raghav Sharma has also assured to display his selected products on the official website of the department. Earlier also, when Raghav Sharma was the Deputy Commissioner of Una, he provided encouragement and opportunities to Ajay, which took his business to new heights.

This is a work that goes on throughout the year
Ajay says that this is a work that goes on throughout the year. When fairs are less in harsh winters and summers, then he uses that time to prepare new products. His major products include decorative and household items, which include decorative ship models, trays, vases, models of temples, pen stands, eco-friendly brushes and buffers, key chains and table lamps. He spends the rest of the time in training other people. Apart from Himachal, he also goes to training camps in Punjab. Bamboo is produced naturally in the region, due to which raw material is easily available
Ajay says that bamboo is produced naturally in high quantity in this entire region, due to which he does not face any problem of raw material. He makes about 30 pen stands from a 10 feet bamboo. The price of his products ranges from Rs 30 to Rs 2000.

CEO of Bamboo India has also praised his work
Ajay says that appreciating his work, CEO of 'Bamboo India' Yogesh Shinde himself came to his village to see his workshop and praised his efforts. This gave him a lot of encouragement. He learned about making new products and improving their quality. Ajay is using his old house in the village as a workshop.

Got full support from the family
Ajay's wife Pooja is working shoulder to shoulder with him in his business. She says that she is ready to learn something new every day and implement it in the business. This is a kind of work from home, the husband and wife are at home, so they also get time to teach their two sons Jitesh and Bavesh, who study in fourth and fifth grades.
Happy with Ajay's success, his father Ramdas says that his hard work and innovative thinking brought him success. His brother Dinesh, who is an educationist, is also very happy with his success.

A source of income for the women of the village
Many women of the village are also working with him. These include Ankita, Rajni and Mamta, who say that they learned the work from Ajay in their free time and are now earning their income from it. They are paid according to the product. By working, each woman earns 5 to 6 thousand rupees every month.

What does the Deputy Commissioner say
Deputy Commissioner Jatin Lal says that Chief Minister Mr. Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu has a great emphasis on the fact that rural youth should come forward to start their own business, they should become employers and they should get full help from the government in this. The district administration is committed to this and is working promptly. Ajay's success in bamboo craft is inspirational for everyone. Along with giving all possible help, we are also using his knowledge to train others.
The Deputy Commissioner says that as per the instructions of the state government, the administration is working to promote bamboo based business in the district. Under the Bamboo Village Project in Ghandawal of Una, various works are being done including setting up of processing unit, tooth brush, furniture and other decorative items manufacturing unit from bamboo. People are being trained for these works.