Aishwarya Gupta: There is Something Romantic About Carpets

As one of the very few women carving out a career in the carpet industry, I feel I was always cut out for this role, as I grew up around carpets. My family has been into manufacturing and exporting carpets for the past 38 years, and as the eldest child of my parents, I took keen interest in everything.

I have always been fascinated by the art of hand-making carpets. The various materials and techniques that are used to create carpets of different textures and softness, the creative designs that beautify thousands of homes across the world — there is something romantic about it. It instilled a sense of happiness and pride in knowing that what we created here in our manufacturing unit had travelled such a long distance to decorate a home.

During the lockdown, when everyone was home-bound, and was looking to do up their spaces, I decided to take our carpets to homes in India through the e-commerce route. Thus, was born the House of Rugs online platform.

It was all possible, thanks to my father who made me part of his work since a young age. During my college days, he would take me to carpet fairs and made me meet the buyers, and exposed me to the world of carpet business.

Since my family was based in a small town, Bhadohi in UP, where our manufacturing unit is located, my parents sent me to a boarding school at the age of 6, to ensure that I didn’t miss out on good education. At that time, I didn’t realise the importance of it, but now when I look back, I’m thankful for my parents’ decision. Because the education that they gave me shaped my personality, empowered me and allowed me to choose to be an entrepreneur. 

That is also the reason, I’m taking personal interest in the education of underprivileged children in our home town where my grandfather has founded a school for them. Just the way education gave me the confidence to dream and start my own venture, I want them to know that it can take them far. For this reason, we will also be opening a college for girls soon.

My parents have been my greatest inspiration through my journey to becoming an entrepreneur. I have seen my father work hard every day never complaining about it. He showed me how I could achieve anything I wanted if I set my heart on it. He made me believe that I was meant to be in the carpet world, though it is known as a male bastion. My mother, too, was clear that I would not get married just because I was of a certain age, she wanted me to be an independent woman.

This attitude of my parents made me a career-oriented person, not just someone who would enjoy the family’s success and achievement. 

Today, I’m able to infuse the same confidence in the women who work with me by offering them education and work. I’m happy to see that they enjoy weaving carpets more than mopping and sweeping in houses.

Of course, there are challenges along this journey. This industry is male-dominated, I need to interact with men at many levels, win their confidence, and I need them to take me seriously, to carry out the work on hand efficiently. I want them to believe that it is the work that matters, irrespective of whether the boss male is female. So, I need to handle that part. But I take it all in my stride, because this is just the beginning and there is lots to achieve, a lot of social change to be brought in. I can’t be bogged down by small issues.

Since I have had such good backing of my parents, I was sceptical as to how would I continue with my work after marriage. But luckily, my husband is equally supportive of my aspirations and my goals.

Though I now live in Udaipur, away from the factory, he makes it easy for me to work. When I launched my venture, the House of Rugs e-commerce portal, I did not even have anyone to make the invoices. But, despite his own busy schedule, he used to make them for me personally. Besides that, he is helping with all other logistics support. He definitely does believe in me more than I believe in myself, which is what drives me to work harder. Because of his unstinted trust in me, all that I want to do now seems possible.

With such absolute support from both families, I know I can achieve my dream of becoming an entrepreneur, as well as carry on with my endeavour to work for the upliftment of women in our home town. One step at a time.