CHENNAI: 45-year-old Chinna Ponnu, clad in a sari and an apron with the words ‘TenderCuts’, picks a hefty blade and begins sharpening it across a board. She turns around, selects a fine piece of meat from the cold storage, places it on a wooden board and slices it into delicate and defined cuts.
The 5’1”-tall butcher doesn’t let her petite size define her. She doesn’t flinch even once, and for the next minute-and-a-half, she gets tucked away into a zone — one which she has carved for herself. “Idhu oru kalainge (This is an art),” tells the master butcher from Panruti, with a smile plastered on her face.
The path from the past
Taking long breaths at regular intervals, she continues to work; in two hours, she cuts several kilos of meat. “I can chop around 200 kilos of meat in two hours on average. The orders keep coming in and I cut the meat based on the customer’s requirement. For instance, a ‘curry cut’ has to be approached differently and a ‘biryani cut’ has a different technique,” explains Ponnu, who is not new to the meat business. As she effortlessly holds the machete, her two decade-odd experience shines like her wellpolished blade.
“I had to wield the knife after my father’s passing. I was hardly 17 years old but having observed him in his meat shop, butchering came naturally to me. I never felt it was not a place for women. I was the most ‘butch’ in the village,” she laughs, working in tandem with four others of her ilk at TenderCuts. “This has become our second home. Though some of us have run standalone meat shops and have prior experience in butchery, to work in a place that has safety and structure and encourages us to push our boundaries and hone our skills is amazing,” elaborates the meat sculptor.
Ponnu is one among five women at Tender- Cuts, who have — while butchering animal carcasses and laying the best chops on the table — been cutting through gender stereotypes and stigma, fostering a change in the meat industry. “A butcher is a butcher. Be it male or female. However, the gender disparity has, for ages, been prevalent in the society.
The thozhil has almost always been considered as not a woman’s job. But we disagree,” she says, looking at Hajera Ismail, Bathulla Beevi M, Sridevi and Sudarvani. For Hajera, who, for several years played an important role in her husband’s meat shop, when the opportunity of exploring a new avenue presented itself about six months ago, she decided to work at TenderCuts. “I am not new to handling animal carcasses, heavy blades, the smell of meat or blood. However, here, as part of the training, I was introduced to things that were beyond butchery.
Keeping our stations and equipment clean is one among the many takeaways,” says Hajera, who is an expert in chopping chicken and mutton. “I can almost do it with my eyes closed. In my initial days as a butcher, in my shop, I have dropped the blade several times. Since it is not cleaned as often, the fat makes it slippery. Injuries have been aplenty,” she says, showing us her scars. “Here, I don’t have to worry about that. We clean the equipment once every hour. So, when we cut into the meat, it feels like slicing into butter,” she shares. Bathulla nods in agreement.
“It’s interesting for us to tap on our past experiences while learning new things every day. Moreover, here, the gender lines have been blurred and what gender we belong to is not relevant to the kind of job we do. We see that as a positive change in attitudes,” shares the 42-year-old.
A day in the life of
Seated outside their walk-in storage, we discuss their typical day at work and the women enthusiastically tell us how they have turned into sticklers for hygiene and perfection. “The store opens at 5.30 am. Based on our shifts, we come in, collect the day’s stock, which is approved after following certain SOPs including weight, temperature, the colour of the meat and whatnots.
Then, we clean the stations, change the dustbin covers, fumigate the equipment and ensure the space is squeaky clean. Once the orders start coming in, you can find us cleaning, chopping and even packing the meat. Once our shift is over, we ensure we keep the place in pristine condition for the next shift’s workers to take over. It’s all teamwork. We don’t brush off work… maybe because we love it?” smiles Hajera.
Forging new standards
Devi, a chirpy trainee butcher with three months of experience, jumps into the conversation. “Naan ivalo periya meen vetinadhe illa! (I’ve never cut such varieties of big fish). Now, the household knives seem really tiny to me. Due to financial strains, I joined here as a housekeeping staff amid the lockdown. But, my mangers here saw my work and encouraged me to learn a new skill,” she narrates.
As part of the company’s ‘Thursday Butcher’s Day Out’ — a weekly programme wherein butchers train fellow employees the art of chopping meat, Devi was given the first-hand experience of handling meat and eventually roped into the new role. While excited about her newfound passion for butchery, she opens up. “Since I joined here as a housekeeping staff, it was only natural for me to think that there might be discrimination. Isn’t that the predominant scene in the society? But, I found dignity of labour instead. When I was asked to learn this art and also do it full-time, I was elated.
Everyone needs this kind of encouragement.” Now, Devi chops different fish variants – from ayila, barracuda, rohu, catla to vanjaram. But, she understands the gut of the responsibility placed on her. “The meat business has always been heavily dominated by men. Now, with women entering the force, we will become role models for not just employment but support and training too. So that is, according to me, a huge responsibility. When I do my job, the society will not see me as just a butcher but as a ‘female butcher’. So I have to put in more effort to be on top of my game.
However, I am enjoying this journey! And with a husband who is supportive and stands up for me when people raise their eyebrows when they hear about what I do, I am, living my best life,” she says, her eyes sparkling with pride. TenderCuts too has now come under its fleet of female butchers. “Here, the progress and learning are not linear. We all get the opportunity to learn from each other and collaborative efforts become interesting learning experiences.
Being a customer service assistant, I found joy in chopping meat as well and now, I am one of the few in the business. But I hope we can inspire more women to take this up as a profession. Going forward, I see this becoming a more sustainable and inclusive industry,” concludes Sudarvani.
Responsibility as role models
The company’s ‘Thursday Butcher’s Day Out’ — a weekly programme wherein butchers train fellow employees the art of chopping meat —has helped people like Devi pick up new skills. She, like the others, sees this as an oppurtunity to inspire young women entering the workforce.
Defying definitions
“A butcher is a butcher. Be it male or female. However, the gender disparity has, for ages, been prevalent in the society. The thozhil has almost always been considered as not a woman’s job. But we disagree,” says Chinna Ponnu. She, who was barely 17 years old when she picked up the work after her father’s passing, is a real-life testament to this. Hajera Ismail, too, had been the backbone of her husband’s meat shop till a better opportunity presented itself at TenderCuts about six months ago.