From one Tk 6,000 loom to 18 looms; about Tk 50,000 a month

In Adampur union of Kamalganj upazila, Moulvibazar, a housewife's household could not manage on her husband's small farm and small business, and educating the children was hard. About ten years ago she went to the nearby village of Bongaon, learned Manipuri loom work from someone there, and bought a loom for Tk 6,000 to set up at home. According to Prothom Alo, at first she could make two cloths a week. Many women nearby came to learn weaving from her. She added looms one by one from her income; with five looms, 10 women worked under her and five to seven saris were made a week. She now has 18 looms. She buys yarn from the local Adampur bazar, and traders come to her house to collect the finished saris. Her monthly income is about Tk 50,000. With it she has seen a daughter and a son through graduation, another son is studying medicine, and she has renovated the house. Her husband says the looms are their main capital. A local folklore researcher says he knows of no other such example in the area.