Mumbai
Shakuntala Kotian (44), a resident of Seawoods, Navi Mumbai, can tell the missing ingredient in pav bhaji masala or garam masala from just the aroma — she is that good at making them. Seven years ago, Ms. Kotian wasn’t as sure of herself.
Her son, Suraj, was born with Down Syndrome and required constant supervision, and she could not take up a 9-to-6 job. “It was difficult to sustain ourselves on the salary of my husband, an autodriver,” she says. With no formal education, Ms. Kotian found it difficult to find a suitable job.
For Pushpa Mhaske (56), life came to a standstill when her husband, the family’s bread winner, died a year-and-a-half ago. Her son, Yash, although born with intellectual disability, is an international-level shot put player. “Although financially, we had constraints, my husband always wanted to give the best to our son and fulfill his desires,” she says. Ms. Mhaske wanted to do the same after her husband’s death but had no clue where and how.
Both the women, along with 15 others, found their calling in ‘Swayam’ (which means self-sufficient), a self-help group supported by Swami Brahmanand Pratishthan (SBP), an institution for special children in Belapur.
“Swayam’s aim is to help parents and their adult children with intellectual disabilities to live a life of dignity and self-respect,” says Shirish Poojari, founder and managing trustee of SBP. The institution empowers persons with intellectual disabilities with skills that will enable their all around development, she says.
For some time, only the children were trained in grinding, pounding, packing, sealing, weighing, labelling at SBP’s Falguni’s Vocational Unit for three years, as per the institute’s policy. “The decision was taken on account of lack of space,” says Ms. Poojari.
However, SBP found that students with moderate and severe intellectual abilities were unable to find jobs and in most cases, their parents too faced financial constraints. “Hence, the management decided to train the parents along with their children in the production of spices and different types of flours,” says Sukanya Venkatraman, principal, SBP.
To begin with, three parents and two adult students of SBP started making a few basic masalas. “To ensure purity and quality, we go to the wholesale market in Vashi and purchase raw materials. Some of the masalas, like cloves, black chillies etc. are even ordered from a store in Kerala,” says Hansa Maru, trustee of SBP, who is in charge of Swayam. The unit churns out around 20 varieties of powdered spices and masalas along with varieties of mouth fresheners. In addition, flours are also produced here.
Touching lives
Swayam has impacted the lives of nearly 15 families and helped many women become self-reliant. “Every intellectually challenged member of the self-help group has a joint bank account with one parent. The earnings go directly to their accounts,” says Sunit Marwah, vocational coordinator. Students and parents who regularly work in the group also get a yearly bonus of Rs. 10,000 besides a nominal monthly stipend of up to Rs. 500, depending on the hours of work put in.
The parents can choose their work timings, and profits are shared among them. “Depending on the order, each member is able to earn around Rs. 4,000 per month. The earnings increase during the festive season,” says Ms. Mhaske, who specialises in making laddoos. “These are made on orders, which have to be placed atleast three days before delivery,” she says.
Says Mahindra Singh Thakur (38), a former SBP student who works in a Swayam packaging unit and delivers its products, “I feel proud to be able to support my family. I have learnt many skills and now train others.”
The products are sold through word of mouth. The group also participates in exhibitions in cooperative societies. “While the response to the exhibitions has been overwhelming, we have not been able to reach out to many. More orders will not only increase our financial earnings but will enable us to add more items in our list and include more members,” says Ms. Maru.
