Often, people yearn for a day of leisure or find themselves wanting to skip work due to laziness. However, this is not the case for everyone.
There some individuals like Kanhaiya Kumar who consider their job as a divine gift and truly perceive it as a blessing in their lives.
Kanhaiya, who has been living with paraplegia since birth, works at the renowned Mitti Cafe, situated in Hansraj College, Delhi. This cafe is primarily managed by individuals with disabilities, showcasing their incredible talents and abilities.
24-year-old Kanhaiya told Sputnik India that there is a significant number of people with disability (PwD) who possess the desire to work, yet they frequently face neglect.
"Before coming to this place, I was unemployed and had nowhere to go. But now, this place has become my first home. The camaraderie among the staff members is incredible, as we all support and uplift each other. Our role is dynamic, as we are all multi-taskers. From cleaning to washing dishes, cooking, and attending to customers at the counters, we each take on various responsibilities with dedication and professionalism", Kanhaiya described.
Veer Pal Singh, a 38-year-old disabled individual managing the beverages section at the Mithi café, expressed his deep-rooted passion for cooking.
© Sputnik / Sputnik/Deexa Khanduri
38-year-old Veer Pal Singh, who is disabled and handles the beverages section at the cafe, shared that he is interested in cooking, but had never had an opportunity.
"Earlier, I used to have my own photocopy machine in an office, and used to provide Xerox copies. With time and the pandemic, my income reduced", Singh told Sputnik India.
"My niece told me about this cafe when it started in their campus. I was unemployed at that time. The right opportunity came at the right time", Singh shared.
Mitti Cafe, Hansraj Cafe, University of Delhi
© Sputnik / Deexa Khanduri
How It All Began
Alina Alam founded Mitti Cafe after being inspired by the documentary Nero Guests, which depicts the issue of farmer suicides. After this, Alam delved into the profound impact of confronting injustice and oppression.
"Mitti" is a Hindi word that literally translates to "mud"; the first cafe was opened in Bangalore in 2016.
"As of now, we have opened nearly 40 cafes in the country, employing hundreds of people who have physical, intellectual, or psychiatric disabilities. Seventy percent of the staff working in all these cafes are PwDs", Alam told Sputnik India.
So far, they have employed 4,000 PwDs.
"Our commitment to fostering greater awareness and inclusion is reflected in every single serving we provide... 11 million meals and beverages have been served so far", he added.
"During the COVID pandemic, our team of adults with physical, intellectual, and psychiatric disabilities initiated Karuna Meals. We managed to provide meal to six million economically vulnerable people who were struggling to feed their families", Alam shared.
Not Just For Disabled People
27-year-old Prashant is an intern at Mitti Cafe. Currently, he is pursuing a PhD in the Hindi language. When he was asked about his reason for joining the cafe, he said that he had a passion for cooking and understanding people.
"At some point of time in my life, I'm going to open restaurant…. And, it's great learning here", Prashant said.
"I have been seeing students and there behaviour with staff, a few staff member have dysarthria (speech defect) … However, students are patient with them, wait for them to complete sentence", Prashant shared.
Disabilities in Figures
According to a World Health Organisation (WHO) report, globally, 15 percent of the world's population has a disability.
However, in the 2011 census, India only added eight kinds of disability to its data. As per the 2011 data, around 2.2% (26.8 million) are disabled.
According to a survey conducted in 2021 by a private organisation, it is estimated that India has about 30 million people with disability, of which 13 million are employable. Still, only 3.4 million of them have been employed across the organised sector, unorganised sector, government-led schemes, or are self-employed.