{
  "type": "article",
  "title": "Their Father Is a Government Engineer, but These Sisters in Surguja Chose to Sell Handmade Art on the Street",
  "summary": "In Chhattisgarh's Surguja district, sisters Mrigakshi and Mrinali, whose father works as a government engineer, run a roadside stall selling mosaic art, lippan art and handmade decor, driven not by financial need but by a passion to turn their craft into a career.",
  "content": "At a roadside stall in Chhattisgarh's Surguja district, two sisters are selling handcrafted mosaic art and lippan art, and their story breaks the usual mould associated with such stalls. There is no financial hardship pushing them into this trade, only a determination to turn their craft into a recognised career.\n\nNo shortage of money, yet they chose to sell on the street\nAt first glance, it would be easy to assume the stall exists to support the family's income, as is often the case with such setups. But Mrigakshi, who runs the stall, said there is no financial shortage in her household at all. Her father works as an engineer in a government department, and the family has every comfort it needs. After completing their 12th grade studies, Mrigakshi and her sister Mrinali chose not to follow the usual path of chasing a job, and instead decided to make their art their profession. That decision could not have been easy, since most families expect their children to look for employment as soon as their education is done.\n\nA hobby that slowly turned into a career path\nIn their free time, Mrigakshi and Mrinali used to make mosaic art, lippan art, gift hampers and various decorative pieces at home. Mosaic art involves piecing together small fragments of glass, tile or stone to form a design, while lippan art is a traditional mud and mirror-work craft. Over time, this hobby grew into something the sisters no longer saw as a mere pastime but as a way of building their own identity. They are now taking these handmade products to a wider audience and working to establish them as a proper brand.\n\nThe story behind the name Lianbi\nThe sisters have named their brand Lianbi. It is not a random word; it was formed by combining the meanings behind the names Mrigakshi and Mrinali. The word Lianbi is believed to carry associations with a lotus flower and a fawn. For the sisters, the brand is not just a way to sell products, but an attempt to give their work a distinct identity that reflects their own thinking and effort.\n\nArt from Rome and craftsmanship from Kutch, now in Surguja\nThe stall carries ancient Roman-style mosaic art, the well-known lippan art of Gujarat's Kutch region, attractive hampers and several kinds of handmade decorative items. Such artworks are usually found only in big cities and tend to come at a higher price there, but Mrigakshi and Mrinali have made them accessible to people in a smaller city like Surguja. That means local residents no longer need to travel to a metro to find this kind of craftsmanship.\n\nFriends have become a source of encouragement\nThroughout this journey, the sisters' friends have stood firmly by their side. Friends who visit the stall not only buy the products themselves but also spread the word to others. This support keeps boosting the confidence of Mrigakshi and Mrinali and gives them the courage to push their venture further.\n\nA message the sisters have for other young people\nMrigakshi and Mrinali say that passion and hard work can turn even a hobby into a successful career. They believe young people should not limit themselves to chasing conventional jobs, and should also consider turning their talent and creativity into a source of livelihood.\n\nThe initiative undertaken by Mrigakshi and Mrinali shows that big dreams can be realised in small cities too, not just in metros. The products they craft by hand are winning over local buyers, and in the process, they are giving Surguja a fresh identity in handicrafts and creative entrepreneurship.\n\nWhat this means for you\n• Across India: This story shows young people that art and creativity, not just conventional jobs, can become a financially viable career path.\n• In Surguja: Local residents can now buy mosaic and lippan art products in their own city instead of having to travel to a big city for them.\n\nQuestions & Answers\n\n1. Who are Mrigakshi and Mrinali?\nThey are two sisters from Chhattisgarh's Surguja district who run a roadside stall selling handmade decorative items.\n\n2. Is the stall a result of financial hardship?\nNo, their father works as an engineer in a government department and the family is financially well off; this was their own career choice.\n\n3. What products does the stall sell?\nIt sells mosaic art, lippan art, gift hampers and various kinds of handmade decorative items.\n\n4. Why is their brand named Lianbi?\nThe name combines the meanings behind Mrigakshi and Mrinali's names and is believed to be associated with a lotus flower and a fawn.\n\n5. How did their craft journey begin?\nThe sisters used to make mosaic and lippan art as a hobby in their free time at home, which later turned into a career.\n\n6. What is their message to other young people?\nThey say passion and hard work can turn a hobby into a successful career, and young people shouldn't limit themselves to conventional jobs.\n\nInspiration & Lessons\n• Don't treat financial need as a prerequisite for ambition: Mrigakshi and Mrinali showed that a career choice can be driven by passion rather than compulsion.\n• Take your hobby seriously: A pastime practised in spare time, when refined consistently, can grow into a real brand.\n• Build your own identity: By combining the meanings of their names into 'Lianbi', the sisters showed that even small details deserve thought and effort.\n• Lean on your support system: Encouragement from friends kept boosting their confidence, showing how much early support from close ones matters.\n• Don't let a small city limit you: The sisters brought art usually confined to big cities into a smaller city like Surguja.",
  "url": "https://trendkia.com/en/success-stories/injiniyara-pita-ki-betiyan-phira-bhi-saraka-kinare-becha-rahin-hain-hastashilpa-surguja-ki-mrigakshi-aura-mrinali-ki-anokhi-kahani-9326",
  "category": "Success Stories",
  "publishedAt": "2026-07-21",
  "tags": [
    "Surguja",
    "Lianbi",
    "Mosaic Art",
    "Lippan Art",
    "Handicraft",
    "Women Entrepreneurship",
    "Chhattisgarh"
  ],
  "language": "en",
  "site": "TrendKia"
}