Women’s Special: Nikita Golchha, Nilesh Enterprise – Inclined towards screen printing
08 March 2021: Nikita Golchha passed out her M.Sc in Management (NUS Business School, Singapore) and B.Com (Honors) from St Xavier’s College. Reading, lawn tennis, painting, social service, etc. are her leisure activities. Over to Nikita:
From a very young age, my father and uncles helped me understand the nitty-gritty of our business; they took me to trade exhibitions and tried to build interest in screen printing. I cannot pinpoint when and how exactly I decided to join our family business. However, the emotion, hard work and dedication of my father and uncles played a pivotal role in my decision making. The bay of career opportunities is and will always be huge but family business gives a sense of belongingness which is more meaningful to me. I feel the screen printing industry is dynamic and there are so many new things to learn and develop.
Not just screen printing industry, most industries are male-dominated, but I am grateful to my father, uncles and the whole team of Nilesh Enterprise and Golchha Ink Industries, who always heard my suggestions and opinion, taught and trained me, built a healthy workspace and gave me that extra mark of respect, for being the only woman in the family business. I am extremely grateful to my parents who always encouraged me to learn new things, be it pursuing an educational degree or imbibing a new hobby they made sure that I develop holistically as an individual. If not printing, I think I would be an artist as I love painting, I know more than 11 styles of painting.
After marriage, I would continue to work in my father’s business, as I am familiar with our product lines and new business development ventures. Moreover, my interests are inclined towards the screen printing industry.
After the world got exposed to COVID-19 in 2020, things changed, and are continuously changing. We cannot go back to previous working etiquette. It unveiled fallacies in an existing business, closed opportunities for some and opened a window of new possibilities for many. I believe that women now more than ever are becoming more financially independent. A lot of small and medium business got started and accelerated during this period from selling home-made food, to organic products, designer clothes, jewellery, creative packaging or working as a freelancer. A major proportion of these businesses in India are started and led by women. Work from home is becoming the biggest blessing in disguise for most women. Some women who couldn’t take up full-time/ part-time jobs due to family responsibility and small children can now work comfortably at home. This flexibility increased India’s workforce incredibly. I am optimistic about the future outlook and opportunities for women.
In the words of Michelle Obama “You may not always have a comfortable life and you will not always be able to solve all of the world’s problems at once but don’t ever underestimate the importance you can have because history has shown us that courage can be contagious and hope can take on a life of its own.
Sanjay Golchha, declares, “I believe girls and boys are at par when it comes to capabilities and handling business. The most important aspect is that the child should have a progressive mind and is focused. Not just the Printing Industry, a determined woman can excel and succeed in all kinds of business. About the Government of India s initiative of ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao,’ I am of the firm opinion that education is the most important asset in life. Every girl has the right to education, right to choose their career and work towards their dreams and ambition. Education gives them a strong voice and mind which should not be muted.”