Pabiben Rabari

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Pabiben Rabari is an Indian entrepreneur. She is famous for being the founder of the Artisan brand Pabiben.com, which is based in Bhadroi village in Anjar taluk of Kutch district.After her father died, her mother took the role of breadwinner for the family. She wanted to help her mother and started working as a fetcher of water for villagers at just Rs. 1. With time, she started working at salt pans and did lippan clay art to earn more. Subsequently, she also began learning the traditional Rabari embroidery from her mother and grandmother. Soon, she started making clothes for herself and shawls for men. Pabiben doing traditional Rabari embroidery.She got married at the age of seventeen to a cattle rearer from the jungles of Chattisgarh named Laxman. After her marriage, she lived with her husband in the jungles, but she soon convinced him to return to her homeland when she couldnt adjust to the environment. Back in her hometown, she settled with her husband in Bhadroi village, where her husband started working at a grocery store in Anjar Market. When Pabiben started her business, he left his job to support her.Her community used to follow a custom in which women created embroidered pieces as dowry to take them to their husbands home. The custom often resulted in a girl staying at her parental home till she got 35 years old sometimes. When the village elders realized that the custom is leading to delayed marriages, the embroidery was banned; this happened in the 1990s.Pabiben wanted the custom to thrive and began working with Kala Raksha Trust, an organization working for the preservation of art in Bhuj. For twelve years, she was a member of the group.Pabiben joined a group of women of the Rabari community and soon became famous as the master artisan of the group. With them, she invented Hari Jari, an art form with a machine application of ready-made elements like ribbons, beads, etc. Soon, the art became popular as Pabi Jari. The very first piece made out of the newly-invented art was a shopping bag. The bag was admired so much by the people that it earned the moniker Pabi Bag. Pabi Bag by Pabiben.Pabiben has also worked with Judy Frater, founder-director of Somaiya Kala Vidya (an organization serving traditional artisans from Kutch, Gujarat). Talking about her in an interview, Judy said, One day, when l was about to take a trip to the US, I told Pabiben that some day she should make a bag for me. She made it before my departure so I took it with me. People loved it so much that we decided to produce and market more such bags. I named it the Pabi Bag, and the rest is history..After the rise of Bhujs economy post the 2001 Bhuj earthquake, traditional art and handicraft also found national and international markets. During the White Rann Festivals, tourist activities increased, which created an opportunity for her in getting work from traders, who would provide her with materials and designs. After some time, she decided to become independent and began making her own products. She founded her brand and website Pabiben.com in 2015. To increase her reach, she started attending exhibitions in various cities of India. Her first big order was of Rs. 70,000 from a store in Ahmedabad. In 2015, she also received grants from the Gujarat Government. In 2019, her brand recorded a turnover of over Rs. 25 lakh. [4]Deccan Herald.She works with the women of her community, employing 160 families, and has produced a variety of items like purses and bags, toiletry kits, dhurries, files, quilts, cushion covers, etc. Her designs are sold at various places in the globe which include US-based Smithsonian Institution, Vastra, Taj Group of Hotels and Resorts apart from museums, heritage shops, and designers.Her designs were also featured in the Bollywood film Luck by Chance (2009) and Hollywood film The Other End of The Line (2008). Actress Holding the Pabi Bag on her hand in a scene from The Other End of The Line (2008).