Women Entrepreneur Network Manipur (WEMN), Women Entrepreneur Network Nagaland (WENN) and GIZ India’s Project Her&Now launched a graphic novel titled ‘WE Mean Business – 20 Women Entrepreneurs, 20 Stories’ in English and its Hindi version- “Mera Business, Meri Kahaani” at KAGO football Artificial turf, Imphal and Chumoukedima, Nagaland. The launch was followed by a pop-up bazaar from WENN women entrepreneurs.
The graphic novel is a celebration of women entrepreneurs in India and is an anthology of graphic narratives by and of twenty inspiring business women from across India. The visual retellings convey their protagonists’ diverse life stories and lifeworlds as they choose to narrate them. These are stories of ambitious women defying expectations and claiming space from diverse trajectories in non-metropolitan India.
Speaking about the book launch, the authors, Vishwajyoti Ghosh, Shrutika Mathur, and NishthaVadehra said, “This is a book of conversations with women entrepreneurs who let us into their worlds and journeys. In each of these stories we got distinct visual opportunities to articulate their familiar challenges in unfamiliar terrains, to realize the inspiring possibilities of making things happen on their own terms.”
Talking about the launch event, WEMN member Swati Thounaojam, Founder, The White Lotus, said, “As a network, WEMN’s goal is to create a more enabling environment for women entrepreneurs in Manipur. This event is a celebration of women entrepreneurs, their diverse realities, business journeys, and ambitions. We plan to do many more such events in the region and grow our network far and wide.”
Project Her&Now has been creating a more enabling environment for women-led businesses in India since 2018. The programme has supported over 900 women entrepreneurs across India’s Tier II and III cities. The women featured in the novel belong to regions like North-East India, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Telangana, and various business sectors and other diverse backgrounds, each illustrated in a unique visual style.
The book will be available on Amazon and Flipkart as well as the local bookstores in India.
