KOCHI: Dr Leela Manjooran hosts several foreigners at her home, Thanal, in Thevara, Kochi. She named the initiative Sadya @Thanal. There is a reason behind naming it Sadya, though she serves non-vegetarian dishes well. “Sadya means a banquet, a full-course meal. Over the course of time, its meaning changed to mean vegetarian meals. At Thanal, we serve all Keralite vegetarian and non-vegetarian delicacies to foreigners coming from all across the globe,” says Dr Leela, a retired professor of political science at St Teresa’s college.
What distinguishes Leela’s Thanal from other places is the twin project that she has selflessly taken up to help keep the environment green and empower women in need. Dr Leela runs a charity cloth bag-making unit titled LEAF (Ladies Empowerment for Awareness of Future), where she employs five woman members of Kudumbasree units from the neighbourhood.
Shopping bags priced at Rs 15 to vanity bags priced at `650 are prepared here. Dr Leela gives the cloth in bulk to the women who make the bags at their houses.“Some orders arrive in bulk, like for conferences or marriage gifting. Some need customised bags, especially for travelling and shopping. We are ready to manufacture any models with fine quality cotton,” she adds.
The foreigners, who reach her house as part of responsible tourism initiative, don’t just taste her food, but also get to try cooking in her kitchen. Most of them want to know about the evolution of the dishes as well. “They talk about everything under the sun. They have some prior knowledge about India before landing here. They talk about politics and public figures. Some want to know about the culture and traditions,” Dr Leela says. She has also written a coffee table book titled ‘Playing Hostess’.
Thanal and its beneficiaries faced competition when shops started largely using polyester-mixed cloth bags due to their low price. “We spend around Rs 15 for making the smallest bag, so we cannot sell at a price lower than that,” she says. With the pandemic having affected her food business, Leela is hoping more people would come forward to support her cloth bag making venture and support it. Reach Leela at http://www.thanalsadya.com/