The Silai Lab

The Silai Lab, was conceived in November 2015 and set up at the well-known historical Gurudwara of Agra, Guru Ka Taal. Not only is this Gurudwara a sprawling centre of worship with historic artefacts, ornate architecture and gardens but historical records also reveal that it was established at the site where the ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur surrendered to Aurangzeb and was later martyred alo

ng with his followers for the sake of freedom to practice one's faith. Taking inspiration from such a revered and venerated holy place with a glorious past, the founders of The Silai Lab Mrs. Oberoi established the training centre with the vision of empowering women to become self- sufficient. The term ‘Lab’ was added to the Silai Center with the aim of making it a space for women to not just learn a skill but also to feel free to experiment with skill, understand problems, craft solutions and innovations. The beneficiaries at Silai lab are women who stay at the Gurudwara and who come from nearby communities. They attend the 6-month long silai training along with a specially designed values and mindset building curriculum which has been developed in partnership with a Hyderabad based social enterprise, Umeed. Today, these women operate with a self –belief that they too can dream of realising their full potential.