In a quaint mountain hamlet in South India, women from an indigenous community get together to knot, creating something unique almost each day using 100% cotton yarn, recycled from pre-consumer fashion waste. Something they do with a lot of love & reverence. Something that has empowered them towards a better living. Something that has held their household together. After finishing off their household chores, they sit down to knot their way into some stunning macrame pieces. The satisfaction that they derive from making something from start to finish with just their bare hands doesn’t have a match. Macrame is an ancient hand-art form practiced across the globe for centuries and is known for it’s therapeutic effect on it’s practitioners. For these women, it isn’t just a craft but a means to their livelihood. We were typical urbanites living in the cities chasing the corporate dream. In 2017, we decided we have had enough of that life. We quit our jobs and our Son was already going through an unschooling journey. In 2018, we moved to The Nilgiris in search of a better quality of life. After spending over a year in the interiors of Nilgiris, in the forest, among the indigenous people, we realised that the women of these communities need serious help. IndianYards was born out of this necessity. IndianYards™, a brand of Macramedecor Craft Pvt Ltd., is a social enterprise nestled in the mountains of The Nilgiris, empowering women from low income communities towards their socio-economic wellbeing. We upskill these women to become fine macrame artisans and subsequently enable them to be individual or group producers. The objective is to help these women, who are first generation artisans, secure their place in the economic mainstream whilst facilitating women from similar walks of life or communities to come together, learn, share & flourish. This is a means to provide these women a collective strength through the process of handcrafting.