In 2003, SHALOM Self help group was registered as with 12 members. A disjointed, disorganized community was brought under the umbrella of SHALOM Self Help Group by the able Sheela to market their wares. There have been many groups who have tried to do this but the Todas do not easily take to discipline or rules. Sheela with her communication skills, her motherly attitude, being part of their ups and down, the good and bad, giving them loans to meet medical emergencies and, feeding them has been able to make it happen. SHALOM grew to supplement the income of 50 Toda ladies and slowly, the band kept growing. Sheela took charge of managing the group. She bought the raw material by scouring whole sale markets in Karur, the weaving centre of Tamil Nadu, for small bits of woven white cloth which is the only material this unique form of embroidery can be done with. She cut the material and gave it to the Toda women to embroider. Then Sheela would tailor the bits to suitable products and market them. She expanded the repertoire to include cushion covers, purses and handbags of different kinds. She employed local tailors occasionally on a piecemeal basis. She sold the products locally in her shop and travelled to exhibitions in bigger cities to sell them. She created a buyer in the Victoria Technical Institute, Chennai. Bigger chains wanted to stock this unique craft, but the offered priced was so low that the artisans hardly made a profit. Crafts Council, India gave SHALOM space in their exhibitions in Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore, and Coimbatore.
