Jency Jacob, Mumbai: Sanjida Ishaq Mallik is a divorcee with three children. Her frail frame hides a burning ambition to make it big in life. From a small room in Mumbai's Malwani area, she runs a small workshop that manufactures hand-embroidered gift products.

Sanjida started her business with a loan of Rs 25,000 from a micro credit organisation and in five years, her creations have reached Switzerland and that amount of Rs 25,000 is now giving her a turnover of Rs seven lakh. "I want my products to go across the world," says Sanjida.

Sanjida is perhaps one of the defining images of a rapidly burgeoning Indian economy, the benefits of which are being felt everywhere. While big businesses are thriving and putting India on the international business map, it’s the relatively smaller businesses like hers that are now making it big.

All thanks to the micro credit policy. Sanjida's business plan attracted much attention and was selected from thousands of similar proposals by a panel comprising management students from S P Jain Institute and corporate giants like Deepak Parekeh of HDFC.

It’s a process that is managed by Citibank every year. "It’s of a phenomenal relevance to the society. It's amazing what people have done with loans of Rs 20, 000 and Rs 40,000. And how they have built sustainable business models," says CEO-India of Citibank, Sanjay Nayar.

Adds Indrani Maitra of Partners in Change, "More often than not these people don't have access to insitutional sources of credit. They have to rely on moneylenders. Now they have the access and really have to resources to come up."

Sanjida is not content with making her money. Not only does she employ others from below the poverty line, she has also set up a free tailoring class in her small workshop for women in the nearby area to make them financially independent.

She hopes that at least some of them would avail of micro credit and create their own business models for sustainment.