Maa Durga never leaves her children alone. Bidding farewell is not symbolic of her retreat. Rather, its significance lies in our ability to leave behind the mistakes of the past and move forward with the lessons.

The story of Gita Malakar is the perfect embodiment of the proverb “Failuresare the Pillars of Success”.

A resident of Azimganj, Gita is a mother of two. Last year was a year of upheavals for Gita.

Her husband, Sukumar, was a daily labourer. The Malakar family was dependent on his daily wages. One of their childrenwas preparing for the school-final examinations. The government told all schools to shut down and announced a countrywide lockdown by the end of March. Sukumar had to stay indoors with his family, without his wages. The family lost its only source of money. The parents worried about making ends meet while the children were losing school time.

Survival was the priority.

Gita realised she needed to get her family out of poverty and hunger.

She started a tea stall with a loan from a neighbour. She got the courtyard wall demolished and built a shed for the tea stall. Customers trickled in, and Gita’s family finally had some income.

Two months passed,but Gita noticed that customers had not grown to her expectations. Rather, the business was eating up her savings. Her frustration turned to desolation, and she decided to close her tea shop and support her family by selling her gold ornaments. It was her last bid at survival.

Destiny had a different plan. On her way to the gold shop, Gita’s saw the signboard of Village Financial Services. She recalled her sister’s account of VFS and how it had helped her start her business.

Gita decided to step into the branch.

Since that day, her life has taken a turn for the best.

VFS not only assisted her with a loan but gave her the most crucial aspect of entrepreneurship: insight. Why not put the shop in a better location, VFS suggested. Gita used the loan to move her tea stall from her courtyard to a nearby highway bus stop.

Her tea stall was now next to dhabas and souvenir shops. From day one, customers poured in. The mounting losses were converted into increasing profits with some to spare.

The family could finally eat two meals a day in peace. Gita was successful in saving her gold and repaying her neighbour’s loan. With the new mobile phone, the children were able to take online classes.

Sukumar changed careers and began working at his wife’s tea stall.

He fetches the raw materials such as tea leaf, milkand biscuits. Every day, at the crack of dawn, the couple arrives at their stall, cleans all the containers, refills them, and starts the stove for the tea. The aroma of boiling tea fills the air.

The tea stall has become popular among commuters, truckers, and tourists.

Gita, inspired by the success of her first venture and now armed with business acumen, has begun to plan her next venture with the help of VFS. It was her failure that gave her the experience towards establishing a successful venture. She sets an example for us.

Drawbacks are not just hurdles but lessons on the journey towards fulfilment.