Lighting the way: Growing a 'diya' business with Sukumari
In a suburb of Madurai, Tamil Nadu, up a narrow staircase behind a bright blue door, Sukumari's packing unit is buzzing. Women sit on the floor in small groups as they carefully fill small earthen cups with wax. Trays move quickly between hands, punctuated by bursts of laughter and quiet chatter.
These cups, known as diyas, are traditional oil lamps that are deeply woven into daily life in India. They are lit in temples across the country every day as part of prayer rituals, and families use them in their homes during pujas (prayer ritual) and celebrations. During major festivals like Diwali, when millions of households illuminate their homes with rows of flickering lamps, demand surges dramatically.
This is the operation run by Sukumari and her husband, who started their diya-making business in 2012 with just ₹35,000 (∼400 USD) and a single-hand manual machine. Over the past 13 years, they have invested around ₹1 crore into the business. Today, they employ 15 local women—most from low-income backgrounds—with many having worked alongside them for over a decade.
Before receiving financial support, the business generated daily sales of around ₹25,000. After becoming CredRight customers in late 2023 and taking a ₹4 lakh loan with a 36-month tenure, they have been able to expand production, open an additional workshop, and increase daily sales to around ₹40,000. Their diyas now reach cities including Hyderabad, Bangalore, and Orissa.
Sukumari manages the packing unit while her husband oversees manufacturing. Women carry trays stacked high with newly poured diyas, others carefully wrapping and boxing them for shipment. What began as a small family trade has grown into a lively enterprise, creating both income and community for the women involved.
Accessing finance has not been easy for the couple. Banks were unwilling to lend due to limited credit history and mostly cash-based transactions. In late 2023, the couple became CredRight customers, taking a ₹4 lakh loan with a 36-month tenure. The funding is being used to expand production and open an additional workshop.
Sukumari explains it’s extremely important that they can keep developing their products to stay competitive. Traditional diyas burn for about 15 minutes, but they have developed larger diyas that can burn for two hours—a product that has become particularly popular with temples. Maintaining quality is central to their reputation, which they protect carefully.
The couple hopes to open more workshops and employ additional local people in the coming years. Their story reflects the broader challenge many small entrepreneurs in India face: the potential to grow is there, but access to capital is often missing. With the right financial support from companies like CredRight, businesses like theirs can scale up, innovate and contribute to the community through the creation of local jobs.
