Packing a Punch
Two women have turned simple ideas into success stories with far-reaching impact. The first one enabled people to create mini house models for the distribution of important supplies while the other offers a tiffin service to essential service workers.
Houses of Hope
A crisp ‘hello’ is followed by a drawl. “Is everyone safe in Delhi? Are those in need taken care of?,” asks Kerala-based social entrepreneur, Lakshmi Menon. Times determine the take; Menon is working on a project called coVeed (‘veedu’ means home in Malayalam), which encourages people to store little portions of essential supplies in small models of a home, which she’s conceptualised. Her NGO Pure Living allows mini house models to be downloaded from her website, Coveed.in, and printed on thick paper and assembled as a mini building.
“You can keep small portions of groceries inside them. Each one can hold half a cup of any dry provision,” she says, adding, “Such a simple effort doesn’t make a dent in your monthly budget nor does it require you to drive down to a collection centre. It’s an independent project about making a house, putting supplies and distributing it to whomsoever you want. The more the better.” People are encouraged to decorate the models with drawings or messages of hope.
One template allows keeping any material like half a cup of any dry provision, face masks, soaps and chocolate. "Another feature is, we ask people to share a digital image of their coVeed model. Pure living then donates Rs 10 for every picture shared. This covers the cost of one meal," says Menon. She is happy to have received many photos of people doing so, a great validation, she shares. In the last few days, she has taken coVeed to its next level— EcoVeed, which, Menon says, is a roadmap for the future.
“I’ve been introspecting on matters of ecology, economy and emotion vis-à-vis the community-at-large. I’ve tried to bring all these aspects into another sort of house model packed with a mask, a premium quality natural soap, and a handful of seeds, all sourced locally. These can be inverted and filled with mud and used as seed starters later,” she says. EcoVeed represents her gratitude to frontline workers.” Sowing good intentions always reaps promising results.
The Salvation Menu
At first, Thane-based entrepreneur Lalita Patil seems shy and reserved. She speaks slowly in short sentences and only when she’s asked a question. But the reticence changes when she’s asked about her work. Her voice suddenly gains strength and the burst of energy is unrecognisable as she talks about turning adversity into opportunity. The lockdown forced her restaurant Gharachi Aathvan, which was launched a year ago, to shut.
Revenues began to plummet. Worry seemed to slip through the cracks of uncertainty. She couldn’t afford to fall into a financial black hole. She had witnessed the bad times when her husband had to drive an autorickshaw to make ends meet. She vowed that bleak times wouldn’t overshadow their existence again. “When push comes to shove, you think hard. One day, while sitting at home without work, it dawned on me that many essential service workers, professionals, and students would require tiffin! Even Mumbai’s famous dabbawala service was disabled, so how were they managing?” she thought to herself.
She went around the neighbourhood asking whether anybody required tiffin. To her surprise, there were many takers. Since then, she has been cooking for more than 80 people daily, providing food at subsidised prices, promising hygienically prepared, healthy meals, and earning anywhere between Rs 8,000-15,000 from it daily. Through word of mouth, Patil is getting more orders every day. “All that was required was to slightly tweak an idea. See the strides I’ve made in such a grim situation.” Food for thought.