Berhampur: With an aim to become self-sufficient and self-reliant, a group of women under the ambit of Mission Shakti have come together and ventured on a path where many would fear to do so – open a quick service restaurant catering to the busy people. The Mission Shakti Café, exclusively managed by the members of Women Self-Help Group (WSHG), has today created a niche for itself in the restaurant segment in Ganjam district. It is the first-of-its-kind all-women run café opened in Ganjam that has become the perfect destination for the hunger-stricken people.
Making its modest beginning, the Mission Shakti Café, with its varied dishes, is becoming one of the favorite destinations for the taste lovers.
Behind this concept of Mission Shakti Café lies a great intent and vision. It showcases how the Odisha Government under the leadership of Naveen Patnaik is coming up with innovative ways to empower women through SHG movement by providing women members various platforms to exhibit their skills and earn a living from it.
The District Rural Development Agency (DRDA), Ganjam has provided a new building with kitchen and toilets worth Rs 10 lakh for setting up a modern Café inside its premises in Chatrapur to Tumbeswar Women Self Help Group members belonging to Chikalakhandi Gram Panchayat of Chatrapur block. The furniture and required utensils were procured from Ganjam Gruhini Producer Company. The important bank linkage has been for operationalization of the Mission Shakti Café has been provided by DRDA.
Since the beginning of the Mission Shakti movement in Odisha, the rural women have gradually made their presence felt in almost all economic activities both in the rural and urban areas. They have today broken the stereotype in the previously male-dominated segment of restaurant sector. The DRDA Mission Shakti Café is a testimony to the fact that women are capable enough to run a café and exhibit their entrepreneurial skills.
Currently, the café serves all the offices in the DRDA campus with a variety of snacks and meals. The guests visiting the DRDA office are happy for being served at the café with delicacies.
The Café has become the sole supplier of refreshments and snacks given in all the meetings held in DRDA and DUDA. Previously, outside food and snacks were being given which was not liked by many. The freshly prepared items prepared by the Café have also become a point of discussion among the officials and visitors to the DRDA campus.
The well designed ambience, while welcoming the visitors, makes a perfect place for short breaks. Added to this, the quality of food and the hospitality of the smiling Café staff leaves a lasting impression in all. The Café is powered by women in all aspects—from the oven in the kitchen to the people serving the meals. It is something unique that would make women financially independent, says Ganjam PD DRDA Shinde Dattatraya Bhausaheb, who played a major role in making the initiative economically viable.
Talking about the future plans, he says, “As the Café is on the main road, we are getting good response from the public. In the next phase, we are going to start a Mission Shakti Choupati on a dedicated road in Chatrapur NAC with 15 stalls operated exclusively by SHGs serving different foods”.
The most important aspect of the Mission Shakti Café is it offers all traditional and contemporary food and snacks items as per the taste of the visitors. What makes it different from other restaurants is the love with which the women serve the visitors.