MOM, I am getting bored. I want a new doll,” said a 6-year-old Devayani at the beginning of the first lockdown, and these very words led to the inception of The Doll Stories—an initiative under which women are trained to make cotton dolls which are then sold online.

Devayani’s request for a doll, which is not an essential item and hence unavailable at that time, did not faze Swati Bidwaikar-Pant who works as regional transformation lead of Asia at NielsenIQ. “I decided to make one at home with whatever rags and scraps I could lay my hands on. I had done a basic soft toy making course in my school days and YouTube was also a big help,” said Swati.