Gurmeen Shrivastava: The Woman Who Symbolized Power in Women Empowerment During COVID

July 20, 20213 Minutes
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While most mothers update their wardrobe post-childbirth, Gurmeen updated the designer in her. She started her unique clothing line -- Nayshaas. And also ended up helping underprivileged women earn during the pandemic!

Born in Chandigarh, Gurmeen decided to take up a course in fashion designing. Despite having a fashion designing background, she never thought of directly starting her own business.

In fact, after finishing her degree in designing, Gurmeet took up job a corporate job. Soon she became a senior manager at an export firm in Mumbai.

Then she got married and decided to take a break from work. Soon she became a mother to a beautiful baby girl.

Taking a break from work to focus on family and motherhood need not be the end of one's career. It can be the start of a new opportunity waiting to happen.

Birth of a woman entrepreneur

Post-delivery, just like most mothers, Gurmeen couldn't fit into her clothes before pregnancy. So she wanted to create something that women could wear irrespective of their physical structure. With this idea in mind, Gurmeen started her own clothing line.

Since her daughter's birth was the reason behind this start up, she named venture after her daughter, Nayshaa. Thus began Gurmeen's journey from a mother to an entrepreneur.

While most mothers update their wardrobe post-childbirth, Gurmeen updated the designer in her.

What made Nayshaas unique was the clothes were stitched. The clothes could be worn by a person of a slender build, the fabric was stitched in such a way that it had extra margins which could be altered in case the size went extra loose or tight.

Apart from readymade clothing, Nayshaas also offered women to get tailormade or customized clothing -- so they could wear the clothes they dreamt of without worrying about the size, fit or quality of fabric.

And then the pandemic started. Many people lost their jobs.

As the pandemic hit the nation, shops were closed. Despite having jobs, people were jobless. Desperate time requires desperate measures.

Gurmeen decided to change the strategy from making cloth bags to making masks.

And then, she went a step ahead and helped many underprivileged women as well!

Gurmeen was emotionally attached to Nayshaa as it was named after her daughter. So, she did not want it to function mechanically. She wanted it to be much more than just a business.

She wanted her business to mean more. Do more. Do something for the society.
Gurmeen decided to collaborate with Srujna, an NGO that worked with underprivileged women.

Before the pandemic, the women from Srujna were stitching cloth bags under the brand name Nayshaas.

During the pandemic, the materials used for making clothes went into making masks.

Without compromising on quality, Nayasha's product portfolio increased. Business increased.

Along with clothes, they were now making soft and good-quality masks, earrings, laptop sleeves, pouches, and more.

Gurmeen's approach not only got her brand reputation but also helped families of 30 women.

It is said that when a man learns, he becomes educated. But when a woman learns, she educates and helps everyone around her.

Gurmeen's story proves this right. Just like Gurmeen, every woman has potential waiting to be tapped.. Do not be afraid to dream. Tap into your inner Gurmeen!

If you are a woman who has taken a break in career and is now searching for jobs, we have an entire list of exciting jobs!

If you have dreams that you want to achieve and are looking for a scholarship for girls, you can click here to check out our scholarship program for women.

If you are simply confused about which career options are best suitable for you, you can simply have a look at career options on our website that harness your strengths.

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This Free Online Course Will Introduce You to a Career in Public Administration

If you are interested in a career in public administration, you first need to understand the nature and scope of it. Public administration is the application of government policies. So, a public administrator is a public servant who works in a public department or agency. These departments exist across all levels of government. In India, public administration plays a very important role in the functioning of the country. It is the default tool for governance in the country. It also is the way we ensure the social and cultural development of the country. Before the independence of India, ICS (Indian Civil Services) posts were held only by men. In 1972 gender equality was introduced in public administration but the number of women in administration has not been a fair representation of the educated and qualified women in the country. Studies point to three key reasons for the underrepresentation of women in administration - personal factors, organizational factors, and cultural factors. While more jobs in public administration have increased the possibility of more women in the administrative workforce, women enjoy only 12 percent representation in the country's administration. In recent years the trend has shifted as more women are becoming part of public administration. The shift in society's thinking towards working women has been a major factor. Additional government support and benefits for women in public administration have resulted in a lot of women achievers in the field we admire. Women like Ira Singhal (Indian Revenue Service), Dr. Ruveda Salam (Assistant Commissioner of Police), and Kiran Bedi (India's first Indian Administrative Services officer) are inspirational figures who have set a path to follow. To pursue a career in public administration, you must first find courses on an administration that can help you prepare for common entrance tests. Since it's a very competitive field, you will need to be properly prepared to achieve your goal. An easy first step would be to take an introductory course online, like the free Introduction to Public Administration course (click [here](https://www.glowandlovelycareers.in/en/course-detail/niit-1999/introduction-to-public-administration)) offered by the Glow \& Lovely Careers (formerly known as Fair \& Lovely Career Foundation). The benefit of taking up this course is that not only is it free, it is also very simple to understand and takes you through the basics of public administration so you are completely clear about the nature and scope of public administration. This course will not only set you up with a solid foundation for the entrance exams, but it will also prepare you mentally for the tough preparation you need to make for the exams, and ultimately achieving your dreams.