{"id":38463,"date":"2026-10-12T15:46:38","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T10:16:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/?p=38463"},"modified":"2026-10-12T15:47:13","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T10:17:13","slug":"against-all-odds-the-woman-artisan-who-found-her-own-path","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/against-all-odds-the-woman-artisan-who-found-her-own-path\/","title":{"rendered":"Against All Odds \u2013 The Woman Artisan Who Found Her Own Path"},"content":{"rendered":"

In early October, GJEPC launched \u2018UNNATI \u2013 Powering Women in Gems & Jewellery\u2019\u00a0 in Surat, an initiative aimed at empowering women in the gem and jewellery sector with opportunities to learn, lead and grow as skilled professionals, entrepreneurs and future leaders. During the event, many women achievers were recognised for their remarkable contributions. <\/em><\/p>\n

One woman of them was Sorathiya Kajal Ramnikbhai, <\/strong>who received the UNNATI Woman Artisan Excellence Award<\/strong>. A Diamond Planner at Hari Krishna Exports, Kajal has spent 14 years mastering her craft and is the only woman in her male-dominated department. <\/em><\/p>\n

Living with the effects of polio and walking with the support of calipers, she has faced physical challenges with remarkable resilience and determination.<\/em><\/p>\n

Hers is a story of courage, perseverance and achievement. Stories like hers remind us that challenges need not define our lives; they can inspire us to believe in ourselves, overcome barriers and forge our own paths.<\/em><\/p>\n

GJEPC launched \u2018UNNATI \u2013 Powering Women in Gems & Jewellery\u2019, a national mission to drive women in the sector learn, lead and grow as skilled professionals, entrepreneurs and future leaders.<\/p>\n

Beginning with its Gujarat chapter at Sardar Patel Smruti Bhavan, Surat, on 5 October 2026, UNNATI seeks to strengthen women\u2019s participation and leadership in the industry, in step with the national vision of a Viksit Bharat by 2047.<\/p>\n

At the inaugural event, GJEPC honoured the best women entrepreneur and business leader, woman designer, emerging woman leader, retail leader, including Sorathiya Kajal Ramnikbhai, who won the UNNATI Woman Artisan Excellence Award winner.<\/p>\n

Sorathiya Kajal Ramnikbhai is a Diamond Engineer (Planning), who works with stones of up to 10 carats at Hari Krishna Exports Pvt. Ltd. Having spent 14 years developing the technical expertise her role demands, Kajal plans how each diamond should be shaped, assessing its clarity, expected yield and potential before production begins. In a male-dominated department, she is the only woman diamond planner on the team.<\/p>\n

Her professional achievement carries a personal dimension. Kajal contracted polio at one-and-a-half, and the condition affected her legs; today she walks with the help of calipers. Yet at 45, she has built a career defined not by that physical challenge, but by the precision, persistence and independence with which she approaches her work.<\/p>\n

Her journey into the diamond industry began after she completed her graduation in Commerce. She had initially explored interior design and was looking for a job when an opportunity at Hari Krishna came her way. She had no prior experience in diamonds, but she knew one thing clearly: she wanted to build an identity of her own.<\/p>\n

Savjibhai Dholakia, Founder & Chairman of Hari Krishna Exports, gave her the opportunity she needed. Over the next two years, she received training in diamond planning and learned the intricacies of the diamond manufacturing process, including cutting and polishing. Gradually, the unfamiliar world of diamonds became her profession\u2014and then her expertise.<\/p>\n

Fourteen years later, Kajal looks back at her journey with a deep sense of accomplishment. \u201cI feel I have progressed 100 percent,\u201d she says. For Kajal, however, building a career was never only about professional ambition. It was also about family.<\/p>\n

After her father passed away, her two siblings were still young and her mother was widowed. Kajal made a conscious decision to remain unmarried so that she could take care of the family.<\/p>\n

That decision shaped much of her life. Her workplace became an important part of that journey. Kajal credits the management at Hari Krishna with giving her something more valuable than sympathy: an opportunity.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are many people who will call you \u2018bechari\u2019 (helpless)\u201d she says. \u201cBut very few will hold your hand and walk with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

At Hari Krishna, she found people who encouraged her to move forward rather than focus on her physical challenge. She was given the opportunity to learn, take responsibility and grow.<\/p>\n

Her message to other women is simple and powerful: \u201cWe are not weak. We only need a path.\u201d For her, Hari Krishna was the place that looked beyond her physical challenge and gave her the confidence to prove herself.<\/p>\n

For Kajal, being honoured with the Woman Artisan Excellence Award is much more than a prestigious recognition. She believes that when women are shown the right direction and given the opportunity, they have the ability to move forward themselves.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I can walk forward, anyone can,\u201d she says. Sometimes, a person does not need someone to carry them. They simply need someone to show them the way.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In early October, GJEPC launched \u2018UNNATI \u2013 Powering Women in Gems & Jewellery\u2019\u00a0 in Surat, an initiative aimed at empowering women in the gem and jewellery sector with opportunities to learn, lead and grow as skilled professionals, entrepreneurs and future leaders. During the event, many women achievers were recognised for their remarkable contributions. One woman…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":38465,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[120,117],"tags":[],"thb-sponsors":[],"class_list":["post-38463","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-helping-hands"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAgainst All Odds \u2013 The Woman Artisan Who Found Her Own Path - Solitaire magazine is a International jewellery magazine - India\u2019s leading B2B gem and jewellery magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow\" \/>\n<meta name=\"googlebot\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"bingbot\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/against-all-odds-the-woman-artisan-who-found-her-own-path\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Against All Odds \u2013 The Woman Artisan Who Found Her Own Path - Solitaire magazine is a International jewellery magazine - India\u2019s leading B2B gem and jewellery magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In early October, GJEPC launched \u2018UNNATI \u2013 Powering Women in Gems & Jewellery\u2019\u00a0 in Surat, an initiative aimed at empowering women in the gem and jewellery sector with opportunities to learn, lead and grow as skilled professionals, entrepreneurs and future leaders. 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