NIZAMABAD : As the sun gets lost in the horizon at dusk, women — hauling tables and other cooking equipment and ingredients — set up kiosks to sell jowar (sorghum) chapatis across the city of Nizamabad. Accompanied by children, these women set up a small stove, which runs on firewood, and place a flat pan, known as penam in the local tongue, before the queues start forming for the evening. As customers wait in queues, these women also try and make conversation to make the wait more bearable.
While making chapati for her family is something almost every woman is expected to do, this new venture has enabled women to use their labour for some money and support their families. Such women-run kiosks were earlier seen in and around the Nizamabad Agricultural Market Yard, but these have now become common in different parts of the city and across the district.
A woman who sets up her stall in the Rythu Bazaar area says she is able to help out with the expenses of her family by selling chapati regularly.
Meanwhile, the owner of a nearby eatery says many people sell food items using online platforms. However, he says the sale of curries has increased owing to the nearby roti centre. “Nowadays, everyone prefers jowar chapati. While rice used to be preferred by the rich earlier, jowar has taken its place now,” he adds.
Known for its health benefits, jowar, which falls under the millet category, is consumed widely across the southern states. Even though rice used to be the primary source of carbohydrates for residents, the rising health issues such as hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular issues have forced people to switch to chapati. The ‘roti centres’ regularly cater to middle- and lower-middle-class families.
“We don’t want to order roti online because they will charge high amounts. Instead, we can buy chapatis from women-run stalls for less than Rs 15,” a customer says.
‘Vital for millet promotion’
A few of the roti makers are members of self-help groups (SHGs) in Nizamabad which are monitored by the Mission for Elimination of Poverty in Municipal Areas (MEPMA).
Speaking to TNIE, C Ramesh, MEPMA project officer, Nizamabad Municipal Corporation (NMC), says these roti centres come under the street vendor category. “As of now, we provided financial assistance to 20,000 street vendors. Each person gets Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000. Some even get Rs 50,000 from banks as loans under the PM SVANidhi scheme. It can also help the women running chapati centres,” he adds.
While 2023 was declared the International Year of Millets (IYM) by the United Nations, many activists say that it was only confined to exhibitions.
A local social activist points out that these poor women making jowar chapatis on the streets have done more for the promotion of millet than IYM stakeholders.