Week Two of my SAP Social Sabbatical in Jaipur, India — July 2025

🚀Bhayli & SAP: One Team, One Dream⭐ Jai Seva — Victory in Service ⭐

If the first week in Jaipur was defined by adjusting to floods, honking traffic, and the chaos of the city, the second week was about finding rhythm — balancing work, health, and moments of discovery.

The week began slowly, as I was still struggling with an upset stomach. My diet was reduced to the simplest of meals — banana sandwiches during the day and daal with chawal at night, lovingly prepared by the cook at the hotel. Pyxera Global advised me to take stronger medicine, and even a doctor was brought in to check on me. It was a reminder that while the sabbatical is about impact and learning, it also requires resilience. Despite being confined to the hotel, I kept working — mapping customer personas and refining the journey we had started with Bhayli. Bhayli empowers rural women in Rajasthan by training them to transform waste materials — like plastic bottles and beverage cans — into beautifully handwoven and handcrafted products. You can find more about Bhayli’s mission and vision in their website here and Instagram account here.

By midweek, I felt well enough to draft a marketing plan and even enjoy a simple team dinner of sandwiches followed by a round of Uno and Chess games that lifted everyone’s spirits.

When I was finally strong enough to return to the customer office, our work hit a new stride. Together with my colleagues Nidia Miguel and Lucrecia Maphupha, we had a deep dive on the sales process and facilitated the Bhayli workshops. These sessions were packed with insights: an overview of the business action plan, competitor positioning, pricing discussions, breakeven analysis, and different models Bhayli could explore.

The following day, we dove deeper — looking at scope, potential sales opportunities, and reviewing the marketing plan in detail. Watching these discussions unfold, I could feel how theory was turning into practical strategies that could shape Bhayli’s future. To balance the intensity of the workshops, we joined a relaxed networking mixer with our customers — an evening at a local bar where conversations flowed more easily outside the formal setting.

Networking Mixer Event

One of the most eye-opening moments of the week was our visit to ECOWRAP, the waste management partner that works hand in hand with Bhayli. We watched as workers carefully segregated plastic bottles, beverage cans, and other recyclables — materials that would normally end up in overflowing landfills. Here, every piece was given new purpose. The bottles were cleaned and cut into fine strips of “cane,” and the cans were flattened, embossed, and prepared to become decorative tiles. Later, these materials would reach Bhayli’s creative partners — women artisans in rural Rajasthan — who would weave, stitch, and transform them into beautiful home décor items like trays, or tables. Standing there, watching the cycle begin, I felt a deep sense of connection between our strategy workshops and the tangible reality of the circular economy: waste becoming opportunity, and opportunity becoming empowerment for women.

Waste Collection

The week closed with something truly special. Over the weekend, we traveled to Agra to see the Taj Mahal — an awe-inspiring moment that reminded me how lucky I am to be here. The day unfolded like a small holiday: cocktails by the pool, a dinner, and later, drinks out with the group where we celebrated Nidia’s birthday. We followed it with a visit to the Agra Fort, soaking in the history before making our way back to Jaipur.

Taj Mahal

Looking back, the second week was a turning point. I moved from recovery to full engagement, from quiet days in the hotel to presenting and co-creating with confidence. It also reminded me that this sabbatical is not only about delivering work but also about embracing the culture, building friendships, and creating memories I’ll carry long after the project ends.