Renukamma aged 54 years had completed her responsibilities in life. She lived with her husband- a small time cement contractor in their native village, Gummanahalli in Kadur taluk of Chikmagalur district in Karnataka. She was a member of a Self Help Group set up by an NGO, Vikasana in Tarikere.
She often talked to Mukund, Vikasana’s field officer about using her free time to do something worthwhile. When TIDE approached Vikasana to identify women belonging to SHGs for training in the construction of Sarala stoves, Renukamma was the first person selected.
Renukamma learnt about the stove during training and was so taken in by its features, that as soon as she went back home, she built herself a stove. She talked to other members of her SHG about it and some of them wanted her to build a stove in their houses. Renukamma started her new vocation- that of a stove builder. In the next four months, she built 32 stoves.
TIDE offered to Renukamma the opportunity to become a Master trainer in Sarala stove construction. She accepted and attended a 6 day training course in Bangalore. She saw it as an opportunity to train other women like her to earn an income and give more women a cleaner and healthier kitchen. Subsequent to her becoming a Master trainer, she identified and trained one man and one woman in neighbouring areas as stove constructors. They have in turn taken up stove building in earnest.