Meet these homemakers who are now successful owners of a food stall in Kolkata

No one can deny the hard work and dignity that go into the role of a homemaker, who manages the household and takes care of the children. But it is not meant for everyone and there are women who prefer to seek jobs or start businesses as well, like these two women in Kolkata. With the sole goal of changing their designation to an 'entrepreneur' from 'homemaker', Nivedita Basu and Debolina Ghosh started a food stall.

Located at the five-point crossing in Shyambazar of North Kolkata, the food stall is a part of the ‘Ekushe Annapurna’ franchise, a government scheme that offers low-cost meals. The stall run by an all-women team offers meals comprising rice, curry, daal, and fish, for Rs 21.

Nivedita and Debolina were already thinking of starting a venture of their own when they heard of this government scheme. Both decided to invest all their savings in starting an outlet for the scheme, and gradually employed more women, resulting in a food stall run by an all-women team.

While speaking with The Indian Express, Nivedita said,

We were housewives. The only job we did was to take care of our house and children. We always wanted to do something on our own. Joining a job and spending 10 hours outside our home was difficult for us because we can’t ignore our family.

Realising the problem, the husbands came up with an idea to buy a Benfish franchise. The franchise, which is already popular, caught the women’s attention, and they immediately agreed.

Since the meals are so cheap, the duo get a lot of customers, but it is not profitable. So they rake in money by selling batter fish fry, fish fry, and other fried items, apart from the usual meals.

There are several other homemakers out there who are determined to change their designation and are working towards it. One such women entrepreneur is Managing Director of V-Star, Sheela Kochouseph Chittilapally. Her husband is the founder V-Guard, the successful electrical appliances venture in Kerala.

Sheela was a homemaker 20 years back, and is now one of the most successful women entrepreneurs in Kerala. Her company, V-Star, is one of the leading lingerie brands in Kerala. While speaking with Rediff, Sheela said,

I was a housewife with absolutely no experience in doing business, making business plans and strategies. It was a slow transformation of a simple housewife into a businesswoman.

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