In many villages of eastern Uttar Pradesh, ponds and small lakes are covered with a thick green plant. People call it jalkumbhi. In English it is called water hyacinth. It has shiny leaves and pretty purple flowers, but it is one of the most troublesome weeds in the world. It grows very fast, blocks the water, stops boats and fishing, and takes away the light and air that fish and other water life need.

In Biskohar, a small market town in Siddharthnagar district, close to the border with Nepal, a group of women is now pulling this weed out of the water and turning it into something useful. This October, the bags and baskets they wove from it were shown on the runway at Lakmé Fashion Week in New Delhi, one of the biggest fashion events in India.

The idea came from Anurag Gupta, a fashion designer who grew up in the Siddharthnagar area. Biskohar is his home town. He had seen baskets, mats and gift items made from water hyacinth at a craft fair from Bihar in Delhi, and he started to think about the weed back home. If it could become a material for craft, it could also become a source of income.

He also had a particular group of people in mind. Some women in Biskohar have faced social stigma for generations. Some of them have worked in the sex trade. They have had very few other ways to earn a living, and many people have looked down on them. Gupta wanted to give these women a chance to earn money with their own hands, with respect, and without having to leave their home district to find work in big cities.

The work itself is simple but slow. The women collect the plant from ponds and lakes. They dry the stems in the sun until they become light and strong. Then they cut them into thin strips and weave them, much like other people weave bamboo or grass. From these strips they make bags, baskets, home accessories and packaging. Even the leftover bits are not wasted. They can be turned into handmade paper.

Getting started was the hardest part. When Gupta first spoke to the women, many of them did not trust him. In the past, other people and groups had come to their community, taken photos, talked about helping, and then left. One woman told reporters that people use the community to get attention and money, and then forget it. So the women said no. Gupta kept coming back. Reports say it took him many months to win their trust. In the end, the women agreed to join only after the first real order for their products had been booked. They wanted to see that the work would bring money, not just promises.

Then came the big moment. At Lakmé Fashion Week in New Delhi, held from 13 to 18 October 2026, Gupta's collection used jalkumbhi as its starting point. The handmade bags and baskets from Biskohar went down the runway in a place usually filled with famous designers and very expensive clothes. For women from a small town who had been pushed to the edges of society, it was a rare moment of being seen for their skill.

There are still challenges ahead. A fashion show brings attention for a few days, but a family needs income every month. The women will need regular orders and fair payment for the craft to really change their lives. Turning a wild plant into a steady product also takes work. The material must be good and the same every time, it must last, and it must cost the right amount. Gupta says he now wants to find more buyers for the products, in home and lifestyle shops, in gifts for companies, and in online stores. A training programme for more women, with a small payment while they learn, is also being discussed.

This story matters for two reasons. First, it shows that a problem can become a resource. A weed that chokes ponds and harms fish can be cleared from the water and turned into income. Second, it shows that real help means staying. The women of Biskohar did not need another visitor with big words. They needed someone who kept coming back until there was real work and real money on the table.

There are ponds full of water hyacinth in many parts of India, Africa and South-East Asia. Somewhere near you, there may be a problem that could become someone's livelihood, if a person is patient enough to try.

Source: The Nation Builders