Introducing Shanti Amma, a skilled basket weaver. Sitting on the same lane as the RIVR office, she weaves baskes. Every time we walk by her, the entire RIVR team gives her a wave. Her smile makes our day so much better. While other workplaces allow employees to take "cigarette breaks" to escape the monotony, we use our shanti amma breaks to just visit her and chat with her, which swiftly lifts our mood.
One of the strongest floods to hit Chennai in recent memory occurred in December 2023. For over a week, the entire city came to a stop. When the floods passed and everything returned to normal, we discovered that some of our products and packaging had been destroyed. One of our team members met Shanti Anma that evening on the way home from the office and asked about her whereabouts. She was in her customary spot, but there was a difference. She didn't have any raw material, yet her face continues to be warm and smiling.
Everything she owned, including her savings and cot to sleep on, had been lost to flooding. She began peeling garlic for the neighbourhood because she had no work to do. Our entire team donated as much as we could, but we knew we could do a lot more, and what better way than 'Shoes'?
We created a limited-edition pair of heels in a hue that she loves and one that we thought would work well for the market. She would use all of the earnings from the pair to rebuild her life, especially since Chennai is currently having one of its hottest summers.