Saurav Mandal (27) was a tenth-grade student when doctors discovered that he had a congenital defect in his esophagus. Despite receiving treatment in both Bangladesh and India and surviving the condition, he had to discontinue his studies. His elder brother, a bank officer, gave him two thousand taka. With that small amount, Saurav eventually transformed his life. Today, the handicrafts he makes are sold across Bangladesh and abroad through online platforms.
Saurav is the younger of two brothers and the son of Manoranjan Mandal and Rita Rani Mandal from Nagora Baroipara village in Netrakona Sadar Upazila. His elder brother, Tanmoy Mandal, works at a private bank and currently lives in a rented house on R. K. Mission Road in Mymensingh city.
Fame Through African Dolls
According to family sources, Saurav had to stop studying due to illness in 2012 while in the tenth grade. Later, he developed spinal complications as well. From the following year, he began spending time at a relative’s shop in Mymensingh. During breaks, he crafted dolls using paper and clay for his own home décor.
After returning from treatment in India in 2019, doctors advised him to rest. His elder brother then gave him two thousand taka to help pass the time by making handicrafts. With that money, Saurav made twelve African-style dolls. When he posted them on an online platform, customers showed great interest. Soon, orders began to pour in.
Saurav set up his handicraft workshop on the Dapunia–Chanderbazar Road in Mymensingh Sadar Upazila. He rented a small house for five thousand taka and began making various jute-based products. A recent visit to his workshop revealed five women crafting dolls, flower vases, pen holders, tissue boxes, wall décor, jute ornaments, and other decorative items using jute, cardboard, glue sticks, and adhesive.
Farzana Yasmin, a local woman working there for a year, shared that she earns three to four thousand taka monthly, which helps her support her children’s expenses.
Another woman, Jhuma Akter, whose husband is a rural medical practitioner, joined the workshop about two years ago to support her family financially. She says their household is now more stable because of the extra income.
Saurav Has Created 150 Types of Products
Entrepreneur Saurav Mandal says, “After I posted the 12 dolls on Facebook, I received orders worth seven thousand taka. People liked my products right from the start, which encouraged me to continue. But I developed an allergy to paint, so in 2022, I shifted entirely to working with jute. I’ve now created around 150 different types of products.”
He explains that he never received any formal training. Instead, he learned by observing family members—his grandfather worked with wood, and his father made steel items. Growing up around these skills motivated him to create things of his own.
Saurav sources materials from Dhaka, Faridpur, and Narayanganj. “I sell my products online and at local fairs. I also run a page called ‘Onnanna’. Although I started with only two thousand taka, I now have five to six lakh taka invested in the business. I sell products worth about one lakh taka each month, with a net income of around 20–30 thousand taka. I’ve also created employment for nine women,” he says.
His products have reached 12 to 13 countries, including the United States, Austria, Japan, Singapore, and Qatar.
Despite his early medical challenges, Saurav later completed his SSC through the Open University and is now in his second year of a degree program. He dreams of expanding his enterprise, opening a showroom in the city, and enlarging his workshop to create even more job opportunities.
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