Women of Grit: Stories of Strength and Entrepreneurship in Heart of Maharashtra
NewsBharati 01-Apr-2025 10:32:42 AM
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Whenever there is an opportunity to travel outside Pune, it provides a scope to meet different people from atypical quarters. Many times, I meet lay persons with great strength of mind who patiently and silently work for a long time. Mostly, they achieve their goal. I especially met many women who wanted to contribute to building their homes in every sense. They are examples of the unusual courage and determination, want to give a better future to their children. The word hard work falls short of describing their resoluteness. They work with conviction to succeed.
Whenever we stay at the Fardapur MTDC resort near Ajanta caves, we usually have our dinner at a small dhaba near the resort. A middle-aged woman runs it, and her parents and son also help her. After the untimely death of her husband, she had to think of working regularly. Initially, she worked at farms as a daily wage worker but ultimately settled with the idea of the small food point. She thinks that this is a better option.
It seems she earns sufficient to run her family, give education to her children and get them married.
She offers limited options in vegetables but provides fresh rotis or jawar bhakari, which is a staple food item in Maharashtra. Mostly truck drivers visit the joint and order dal and rotis or bhakari. She serves them hot and fresh. More than 10 years ago, when we first saw this joint, the fresh and hot bhakari attracted us to this place. The entire family helps her; her father keeps the dhaba clean, stores drinking water, and probably looks after getting vegetables and all the procurement. Her mother helps in cooking the things that people like.
Of course her son is married now, he works with a school but helps her in the evening. Sitting on a charpai by the roadside and enjoying food is an experience in itself.
She always looks satisfied, she feels happy that she is in good health and can still support the family. After the death of her husband, she stood strong and supported her children and parents, too. All are happy now. With so much of strength and conviction, she fought the most difficult battle of her life. She comes from a very humble background but was not ready to surrender. She works till post midnight and starts very early in the morning. The joint has a better flooring, a seeling fan but walled by tin sheets. It is always clean, and her smile is welcoming.
On my way back home, we had to buy some banana chips, which are very popular and easily available. There are many roadside points where a huge pile of raw bananas can be seen. Usually, they are peeled by women, and the chips are fried by the men using a very big kadhai. They are usually sold fresh; locals and tourists both buy them as the sight and fragrance can just not be avoided.
A middle-aged woman was peeling Bananas, and her husband was making slices and directly dropping them in the hot oil. The chips were not ready, so we waited for some time. The lady, Susheela Tai, told me that they buy some 4-5 quintal bananas at a time, and at least 1 quintal of Bananas are to be peeled every day, which yields 25-30 kg of chips. Fortunately, she said with satisfaction that nothing remains for the next day. Even the bananas that cannot be peeled or the peels are useful as fodder, though it gives a little money, but she feels it is not wasted atleast. "God's grace," she exclaimed with contentment. Her husband, Dashrath, was busy frying but nodded in support. This continues for the entire year; in the rainy season, the kadhai is kept under the roof. Rainy season and winter have more demand for the chips, especially on fasting days. People demand it even more, and even in summer, the demand does not dwindle. Peeling and frying do not halt. Besides this work, she has to look after the home, cook food, and all the other daily core activities go on.
The family has no farmland, so they used to work as daily wage workers. She saw someone preparing this, then she had some trials and errors which ultimately resulted in this. Now, she said with satisfaction that they have a steady income. Of course, there is a lot of hard work invested in reaching this stage. They have a very small home by the roadside, so it is easier to sell.
The real surprise came to me when she told me that they had taken a loan to build a house in the town. It seems that the bank is ready to lend the money, looking at their bank transaction. A Jan-Dhan account, it seems. She declared that once the house is ready, they would shift, and then this point can be given a slightly new look, and maybe she has a plan to add something more. Her husband was listening to our conversation intently.
When asked about her children, there was a thin thread of sadness; her son's are not ready to take this ahead, but she hopes that her daughter-in-law may find it worth investing energy. She felt this business ( she proudly called it a business )gave them stability and, continuous income source and helped both to run the family. They have been involved in it for the last 14 years, they lead their life with heads held high. If one visits the area ( we visit at least once a year ), one can find that it is really difficult to find a source of income easily. The Khandesh is dependent on farming, and a very small service sector has developed. In this situation, this newly found Banana chips activity has given hope to many. Banana cultivation is abundant; besides selling them chips chip-making takes care of the quantity produced. People love them. Some varieties are introduced, like salted or masala or chat masala or pepper; these, once sprinkled, enhance the taste and craving too.
It is summer now, but one can see innumerable stalls that sell chips throughout the Khandesh. Mostly, women work equally with their family. Unbearable heat does not dampen their spirit, some stalls offer tea too. Everything is served with a confident smile, as it is their business that holds the key to a steady income.
We saw many such women working relentlessly, their spirit can never be defeated by the harsh climate. These small entrepreneurs bring hope in scorching heat, too.
I saw some girls preparing for the police recruitment test, too. This was a very small village near Fardapur, near Ajanta caves. When internet reached every corner of our country, the information too reached all the places, big or small. It opened the vast area of opportunities to all, aspirations are high. Tourism, too, added many avenues, and women are also prepared to work harder than ever. Everyone wants to earn working happily, not many are satisfied with the alms.
When the summer pushes the mercury to an unbearable level,l and I feel like grumbling, but these faces make me stop complaining.
Whenever we stay at the Fardapur MTDC resort near Ajanta caves, we usually have our dinner at a small dhaba near the resort. A middle-aged woman runs it, and her parents and son also help her. After the untimely death of her husband, she had to think of working regularly. Initially, she worked at farms as a daily wage worker but ultimately settled with the idea of the small food point. She thinks that this is a better option.
It seems she earns sufficient to run her family, give education to her children and get them married.
She offers limited options in vegetables but provides fresh rotis or jawar bhakari, which is a staple food item in Maharashtra. Mostly truck drivers visit the joint and order dal and rotis or bhakari. She serves them hot and fresh. More than 10 years ago, when we first saw this joint, the fresh and hot bhakari attracted us to this place. The entire family helps her; her father keeps the dhaba clean, stores drinking water, and probably looks after getting vegetables and all the procurement. Her mother helps in cooking the things that people like.
Of course her son is married now, he works with a school but helps her in the evening. Sitting on a charpai by the roadside and enjoying food is an experience in itself.
She always looks satisfied, she feels happy that she is in good health and can still support the family. After the death of her husband, she stood strong and supported her children and parents, too. All are happy now. With so much of strength and conviction, she fought the most difficult battle of her life. She comes from a very humble background but was not ready to surrender. She works till post midnight and starts very early in the morning. The joint has a better flooring, a seeling fan but walled by tin sheets. It is always clean, and her smile is welcoming.
On my way back home, we had to buy some banana chips, which are very popular and easily available. There are many roadside points where a huge pile of raw bananas can be seen. Usually, they are peeled by women, and the chips are fried by the men using a very big kadhai. They are usually sold fresh; locals and tourists both buy them as the sight and fragrance can just not be avoided.
A middle-aged woman was peeling Bananas, and her husband was making slices and directly dropping them in the hot oil. The chips were not ready, so we waited for some time. The lady, Susheela Tai, told me that they buy some 4-5 quintal bananas at a time, and at least 1 quintal of Bananas are to be peeled every day, which yields 25-30 kg of chips. Fortunately, she said with satisfaction that nothing remains for the next day. Even the bananas that cannot be peeled or the peels are useful as fodder, though it gives a little money, but she feels it is not wasted atleast. "God's grace," she exclaimed with contentment. Her husband, Dashrath, was busy frying but nodded in support. This continues for the entire year; in the rainy season, the kadhai is kept under the roof. Rainy season and winter have more demand for the chips, especially on fasting days. People demand it even more, and even in summer, the demand does not dwindle. Peeling and frying do not halt. Besides this work, she has to look after the home, cook food, and all the other daily core activities go on.
The family has no farmland, so they used to work as daily wage workers. She saw someone preparing this, then she had some trials and errors which ultimately resulted in this. Now, she said with satisfaction that they have a steady income. Of course, there is a lot of hard work invested in reaching this stage. They have a very small home by the roadside, so it is easier to sell.
The real surprise came to me when she told me that they had taken a loan to build a house in the town. It seems that the bank is ready to lend the money, looking at their bank transaction. A Jan-Dhan account, it seems. She declared that once the house is ready, they would shift, and then this point can be given a slightly new look, and maybe she has a plan to add something more. Her husband was listening to our conversation intently.
When asked about her children, there was a thin thread of sadness; her son's are not ready to take this ahead, but she hopes that her daughter-in-law may find it worth investing energy. She felt this business ( she proudly called it a business )gave them stability and, continuous income source and helped both to run the family. They have been involved in it for the last 14 years, they lead their life with heads held high. If one visits the area ( we visit at least once a year ), one can find that it is really difficult to find a source of income easily. The Khandesh is dependent on farming, and a very small service sector has developed. In this situation, this newly found Banana chips activity has given hope to many. Banana cultivation is abundant; besides selling them chips chip-making takes care of the quantity produced. People love them. Some varieties are introduced, like salted or masala or chat masala or pepper; these, once sprinkled, enhance the taste and craving too.
It is summer now, but one can see innumerable stalls that sell chips throughout the Khandesh. Mostly, women work equally with their family. Unbearable heat does not dampen their spirit, some stalls offer tea too. Everything is served with a confident smile, as it is their business that holds the key to a steady income.
We saw many such women working relentlessly, their spirit can never be defeated by the harsh climate. These small entrepreneurs bring hope in scorching heat, too.
I saw some girls preparing for the police recruitment test, too. This was a very small village near Fardapur, near Ajanta caves. When internet reached every corner of our country, the information too reached all the places, big or small. It opened the vast area of opportunities to all, aspirations are high. Tourism, too, added many avenues, and women are also prepared to work harder than ever. Everyone wants to earn working happily, not many are satisfied with the alms.
When the summer pushes the mercury to an unbearable level,l and I feel like grumbling, but these faces make me stop complaining.
Bharati Web
Prof. Vidya Deshpande
Professor Vidya Deshpande has had a journey of more than four decades in the field of education. Her main expertise is in the subject of Philosophy, and she has worked as a teacher of philosophy and logic with Nowrosjee Wadia college for 36 years. She has been associated with the Janakalyan Blood bank for last for 38 years and has also carried out the responsibility as a management committee member of Karve Stree Shikshan Sanstha for 10 years. Her special fields of interest are Philosophy of social sciences, school education, development of skills for self reliance, and top up skills to make students profession ready,
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