Here’s how Tamil Nadu women are lighting the path of entrepreneurship

In Tamil Nadu, literacy, enterprise and social development go hand in hand. The state has the highest number of working women in India. Tamil Nadu rose six spots in the national ranking of the start-up ecosystem in 2022, going from the bottom of the heap to 11th position in just two years. Female literacy in both in rural and urban areas has significantly increased to make Tamil Nadu one of the most literate states, Census data shows.

No wonder, women from Tamil Nadu are fast becoming beacons of empowerment for their sisters across the country. Forward looking government policies, gender sensitive corporate hiring and a gradual but steady change in social mindset - are all coming together to help women in the southern state stake their place under the sun.

With 73.4% of its women literate, Tamil Nadu – third among the larger states after Kerala and Maharashtra – has India’s largest number of establishments run by women, one million, according to the 2012 census. The setting up of the Tamil Nadu Start-up and Innovation Mission (Tansim), an agency driving the state’s start-up ecosystem and the launch of Tanseed to support start-ups with a seed grant of up to Rs 10 lakh by the state government have given the state’s women another major boost to realise their dreams. This year, Tamil Nadu climbed six spots in the national ranking of the start-up ecosystem of states released by the Centre’s department for promotion of industry and internal trade. Tamil Nadu came in at the 11th spot, categorised among ‘leader’ states in the rankings for 2021. Just two years ago, the state was in the bottom most category of ‘emerging ecosystem’ in the same rankings.

The state has also taken the issue of female education to heart, and high school enrolment among girls is increasing exponentially. Better education has spelt better career opportunities for women - the state today has the highest number of direct women employees in manufacturing, particularly in textile and footwear industries, according to media reports. CEAT’s Chennai plant is the first in the tyre industry to set up an all women crew for extruder operations, and the Coimbatore plant of Kirloskar Brothers is managed fully by women since 2011. The state of temples and traditions has overcome social taboos to ensure that women are also part of the political spotlight. 11 of the 20 mayors across major Tamil Nadu cities elected this year are women, and young women are actively participating in the region’s political arena.

Nevertheless, in a country like India, it is not easy for women to break stereotypes and become an entrepreneur. Financial difficulties, social taboos and family resistance, coupled with her never-ending domestic chores, can sometimes put dampeners on women’s aspirations. But true to Swami Vivekananda’s words, “Just as a bird could not fly with one wing only; a nation would not march forward if the women are left behind”, the women of Tamil Nadu have shown the way to the rest of country by breaking into domains that were earlier considered male preserves. Edtech, computer education, medicine and modern agriculture - no sector is out of bounds for the state’s women as they battle challenges to make their dreams come true. With entrepreneurship, comes empowerment. A recent study indicates that women entrepreneurs from the southern districts of Tamil Nadu have reached, in varying degrees, empowerment that comes through the business ventures they have launched on their own.

The five remarkable women entrepreneurs, past winners of the Britannia Marie Gold My Startup Contest, have similar stories to recount. Their journeys are all about grit, perseverance and determination. Hailing from small towns across Tamil Nadu, the five women - – J Kalavathi, Narmatha Vasanthan, R Sumathi, Yazhinidevi D, and Madhu Nachammai, are all self-made entrepreneurs. One has the distinction of being the only female entrepreneur in her village, while another is the first to launch an optometry clinic in her home town. Two have plunged into edtech and computer education, thus far the domain of male entrepreneurs. One has devoted herself to research into the healing benefits of the humble banana and has come up with her own range of skin care products.

Britannia Marie Gold My Startup Contest is a laudable initiative that launched in 2019, and helped top 10 business ideas of each season by women entrepreneurs win INR 10 lakh each to start their business. Season 1 had 1 million entries and seasons 2 & 3 have been even bigger successes. 40,000+ women have so far received training via upskilling programmes, 30 women have received seed funding to start their own business and of which, 18 successful initiatives have been created.

This year, Britannia Marie Gold has empowered women to pursue their dreams by providing appropriate resources that enable her to start a business, with the help of technology. This helps her balance both family and business, while celebrating her story. These 5 women have laid down solid foundations for their start-ups, and are now looking to reach loftier goals. They need to expand product lines, invest in equipment that will make their business more productive and procure technology that will make their venture more profitable. What they need now is a push to fuel their dreams. With a simple gesture, we can become a part of their inspiring journeys! It’s as simple as buying a pack of Britannia Marie Gold biscuits, scanning the QR code on it and learning about their stories.