Ruma Devi

❧

Wikipedia

Ruma Devi
Born (1988-11-16) 16 November 1988 (age 37)
Rawatsar
EducationHonored with an honorary doctorate degree
OccupationSocial Activist
Spouse
Tiku Ram
​
(m. 2005)​
AwardsNari Shakti Puraskar (2019)
Websitewww.rumadevi.com

Dr. Ruma Devi is an Indian traditional handicraft designer, social worker and global speaker from Barmer, Rajasthan. She is President of Gramin Vikas Evam Chetna Sansthan (GVCS) and Director of the Ruma Devi Foundation, organisations working towards women’s empowerment, rural livelihoods and craft revival in India. Having trained and supported 50,000 women artisans across the Thar region, she currently acts as Brand Ambassador of RAJEEVIKA (Rajasthan Livelihoods Mission) under the Government of Rajasthan.

Ruma Devi received the “Nari Shakti Puraskar 2018”, India’s highest civilian honour for women, in recognition of her contribution to women’s empowerment and rural enterprise development.[1] She has also been invited by institutions such as Harvard University to speak on women’s entrepreneurship and artisan livelihoods.[2]

Through her organisations, she has led initiatives that integrate skill development, design innovation and market linkages for rural artisans, creating sustainable livelihood opportunities.[3] She has also promoted access to education through the Akshara Scholarship Programme which supports under-privileged students to pursue higher education.

Her work has been widely recognised for contributing to grassroots social empowerment in western Rajasthan, particularly in enhancing women’s financial inclusion, decision-making and participation in community development.[4]

Early and personal life

Ruma Devi was born in 1988 and grew up in Rawatsar in Barmer, Rajasthan. She dropped out of school when she was in 8th class.[5] She learned embroidery from her grandmother during her childhood. She got married at the age of 17 and lost her first son in 48 hours of his birth.[6]

Social work and activism

Ruma Devi’s social work programmes in education, health, women’s hygiene, infrastructure, and cultural preservation. Key initiatives include:[7]

  • Akshara Scholarship: Financial aid and mentorship provided annually to rural students, especially girls, to support academic and professional development.[7]
  • Rural Sports Infrastructure: Construction of Barmer’s first rural multi-sports complex (Sugani Devi Sports Complex) with investment of several crores, intended to train youth, particularly girls, for state and national level sports.[7]
  • Visualities and Culture Preservation: Events like Vanee Utsav recognizing folk and traditional music across artists; promotion of artisan craft via exhibitions; reviving folk art traditions.[7]
  • Menstrual Hygiene Campaign & Sanitary-Pad Distribution: Free sanitary pads are distributed across remote villages (e.g. Barmer, Balotra, Tilwara), accompanied by awareness sessions on menstrual hygiene, safe usage, disposal, and breaking taboos.[7]
  • Eye-Screening Camps: Mobile eye-test camps across dozens of gram panchayats, with free eyewear provided to artisans, children, elderly, to reduce avoidable visual impairment. Over 60,000 people have benefited between 2020-2024.[7]
  • Project Chirag: Distribution of solar-powered lights to households in electricity-deprived areas, illuminating over 2,000 rural homes.[7]
  • Relief & Essential Services: During COVID-19, provision of sanitising kits to over 16,500 families, ration kits to over 3,000, oxygen equipment to more than 25 Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and Community Health Centres (CHCs). Water-tanker relief to drought-hit villages.[7]

Ruma Devi’s activism for women’s rights extends beyond artisan livelihood, encompassing advocacy around gender equality, social justice, and women’s safety. Coming from Barmer, Rajasthan, a region marked by traditional patriarchy, she has worked to challenge norms such as purdah and limited female mobility by mobilising women into self-help groups and encouraging their participation in public life.[8] She has also led educational interventions, pushing for girl child education and organising scholarships to reduce barriers for girls, especially school dropouts.[8] Ruma Devi Foundation In public forums and cultural events (such as Vani Utsav and Harjas Utsav), she uses platforms to highlight women’s rights and foster community among women, which functions both as empowerment and collective awareness-raising. Web India News Her work was formally recognised by the Government of India when she was awarded the Nari Shakti Puraskar in 2019, affirming her contributions to women’s empowerment.[9]

Career

She started to do some work for earning. She started a self-help group after managing to convince about 10 women from her village in 2006. With a contribution of Rs 100 from each woman, they bought second-hand stitching machine, cloth, threads and plastic wrappers for making cushions and bags.[10]

Her quest for success took her to the doorstep of Gramin Vikas Evam Chetna Sansthan in Barmer[11] and she joined it as a member in 2008 and went on to become the president of the non-governmental organization in 2010.[12] She did her first exhibition in Rafi Marg, Delhi in 2010 and her first fashion show in Rajasthan Heritage Week 2016.[13] She is now working towards promoting the craft of tribal artisans and minorities of all over India to get their craft and hands behind craft recognized.[14]

Awards and honors

  • Nari Shakti Puraskar (2018) presented by the President of India Sh.Ramnath Kovind.
  • Shared stage with Amitabh Bachchan and Sonakshi Sinha on Kon Banega Crorepati Show (20 September 2019).[15][16]
  • Invited by Harvard University, Boston, U.S. as a panelist in its 17th all India conference (15-16 February 2020).[17]
  • Featured in Khaleej Times, Dubai [18]
  • Featured at Indian singing reality show 'Indian Idol' in the special episode of Women's day (10 July 2021).[19][20]
  • Won the title of 'TFI Designer of the year 2019'.[21][22]
  • Featured on the cover page of India Today magazine in its anniversary edition with the title 'The New Bharat' in 2018.[23]
  • Goodwill Ambassador and Chief Designer of Tribes India.[24]
  • State Brand Ambassador, Rajeevika[25][26]
  • Honored by Doctorate in the field of art & textile by Mahatma Jyoti Rao Phule University, Jaipur.
  • Shilpa Abhimani Award by the Govt of Sri Lanka: Promotion of handicrafts
  • Honour by Women on Wings Netherlands (2016)

References

  1. ↑ "About Ruma Devi". Ruma Devi. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
  2. ↑ Raja, Vidya. "Harvard Invited This School Dropout From for Empowering 30,000 Women". thebetterindia.com. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
  3. ↑ "Women Economic Forum (WEF)". Women Economic Forum. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
  4. ↑ "Meet designer Ruma Devi from Rajasthan who is now a guest speaker at Harvard". The Indian Express. 9 August 2023. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
  5. ↑ "Ruma Devi: From school dropout to changing fortunes of 22,000 women". The Times of India. 26 February 2019. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  6. ↑ Roytalukdar, Rakhee (30 August 2019). "Ruma Devi and her motifs of change". @businessline. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "What We Do". Ruma Devi Foundation. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
  8. 1 2 Moneycontrol.com. "Ruma Devi: Empowering Women & Taking Traditional Rajasthani Handicrafts To The World". Archived from the original on 2 November 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
  9. ↑ WoW (12 March 2019). "Ruma Devi receives Nari Shakti Puraskar". Women on Wings. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
  10. ↑ Khan, Shoeb (26 February 2019). "Ruma Devi: From school dropout to changing fortunes of 22,000 women". The Times of India. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  11. ↑ "A Stitch in Time | The Social Warriors". India Today. 23 December 2018. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  12. ↑ "Rajasthan: Married off at 17, Ruma Devi is now guardian angel for over 20,000 women". ANI News. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  13. ↑ "Ruma Devi and her Barmeri motifs of change". www.thehindubusinessline.com. 30 August 2019. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  14. ↑ "ruma devi Hindi News and Today's Trending Topics with ruma devi Latest Photos and Videos". Dainik Bhaskar (in Hindi). Archived from the original on 10 March 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  15. ↑ "Amitabh Bachchan bemused at Sonakshi Sinha over 'KBC' gaffe". The Hindu. Inter-Asian News Service. 21 September 2019. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  16. ↑ "केबीसी 11: आर्थिक तंगी से हुई थी बच्चे की मौत, बाद में ऐसे बदल दी 22 हजार महिलाओं की किस्मत". Amar Ujala (in Hindi). Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  17. ↑ "February 13, 2020". Office for Student Affairs. 12 February 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  18. ↑ "A school dropout who made it to Harvard: The story of artisan Ruma Devi".
  19. ↑ "इंडियन आइडल शो में दिखेगी बाड़मेर की रूमा देवी: लेडीज स्पेशल एपिसोड में होगी गेस्ट, बुधवार को शूट पूरा हुआ, शनिवार को होगा टेलीकास्ट, अनु मलिक बोले: सेट पर आना हमारे लिए गौरव". Dainik Bhaskar. 8 July 2021.
  20. ↑ "Indian Idol 12: अरुणिता कांजीलाल को नारी शक्ति पुरस्कार से सम्मानित रूमा देवी ने दिया खास तोहफा". 10 July 2021.
  21. ↑ Sheikh, Sajid (18 July 2019). "फैशन के सतरंगी रैंप पर बाड़मेर की रूमा का ब्लैक एंड व्हाइट कलेक्शन छाया, जीता डिजाइनर ऑफ दी ईयर अवाॅर्ड". Dainik Bhaskar (in Hindi). Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  22. ↑ "Sustainable fashion forward". The New Indian Express. 19 July 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  23. ↑ Parihar, Rohit (23 December 2018). "A Stitch in Time | The Social Warriors". India Today. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  24. ↑ "आदि महोत्सव में छाया बाड़मेर की रूमा देवी का कलेक्शन, ट्राइब्स इंडिया ने बनाया 'गुड विल एंबेसडर'". Zee News Hindi. 26 November 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  25. ↑ Iqbal, Mohammed (17 December 2021). "₹2,400-crore shot in the arm for women's SHGs". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  26. ↑ "Ruma Devi Barmer : रूमा देवी बनीं Rajeevika ब्रांड एंबेसडर, अब बदलेंगीं 20 लाख महिलाओं की तकदीर". 14 December 2021.