Taste Of Empowerment: How Raipur's Specially-Abled Women Built A Food Stall That Changed Lives
A few physically-challenged women in Chhattisgarh did not want to be dependent. They became each other’s strength and began an eatery that does thriving business.
Published : July 31, 2025 at 1:28 PM IST
|Updated : July 31, 2025 at 5:18 PM IST
Raipur: Two-and-half-years back, when members of Roshni Divyang group opened a tea stall on Raipur court premises, every evening was a dampener. Because not many people visited their stall 'The Tea Express' to have their cup of the beverage. They could have closed the shop and shut the idea, but they stood firm in their resolve to wait and garner customers till the next six months. Today, all 10 of the women members smile when a good number of people knock on the shop, that has grown from selling tea to becoming a food joint.
The group members, once grappling with financial hardships and doing odd jobs to survive, are now happy that their food stall that has become the go-to breakfast joint, is frequented by lawyers and visitors at the court.
The stall that now runs on wheels, offers a wide range of tea and coffee varieties, breakfast options that include Chhattisgarhi dishes, bhajiya, farah chausela, samosa and mirchi bhajiya. Besides, jaggery tea is also served. The members keep selling things like silk thread jewellery and Rakhis in the stall as and when they make a few.
“The first six months were difficult when we had to work without earning anything,” says Surekha Sonkar, a member of the group. But slowly as the business gathered momentum, their resolve strengthened. They were supported by the Social Welfare Department and District Panchayat, which provided them a mobile food vehicle. They purchased essentials like a gas cylinder, stove, thermos, and other ingredients, to get going. "Though we are 10 of us, we appointed two more to run errands. We feel happy to be able to earn a livelihood," she adds.
"The taste of tea, breakfast and local dishes here is so good that anyone who eats here, does not go anywhere else. I am a regular here and I enjoy breakfast in varieties. The stall actually shows how women are becoming self-reliant," says Jitendra Sahu, a lawyer practicing in the court.
Rajanandani Sahu, another woman from Roshni Divyang Group, says we began with tea only. "But slowly we got a demand from the lawyers to start breakfast. It was a good idea, because we also needed to expand our offerings to grow in business," she explains.
The last two years have been life changing for the 10 women who are challenged. "We are earning as much to take care of ourselves," Rajanandini says with gratitude.
On how the district administration helped, Girija Jalakshatriya, President of Roshni Divyang Group, says, the vehicle on which we run the eatery is donated by the Social Welfare and District Panchayat Department. "Earlier, we had a makeshift stall. After initial hiccups, now everything has been streamlined," she adds.
Apart from the daily sale at the court premises, the Roshni Group also sets up stalls of rakhi and jewellery at various state festicals and Swadeshi fair.
Currently, we do a business of Rs 6,000 to Rs 7,000 per day. The days of struggle are gone when we did not earn anything," says Girija, thanking some of the influential lawyers who helped them draw more people to the stall.
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