I work with the cloud kitchen group in Khanapur. It is just two women at a time so that we can train them properly. This month it is Sarita and Lekha. Both of them had never imagined they could earn from cooking, even though they have cooked every single day of their lives.
When the training began, they kept saying things like “We only make simple food” but simple for them means soft bhakris, perfect sabzis and chutneys that taste exactly the same every time. The food I call “home food” without thinking twice.
In the first week they learned measuring, hygiene and packaging. What surprised me most, honestly, was how seriously they take plating. Sarita places poha so neatly that it actually looks like it came from a café. Lekha adds a tiny pinch of coriander in the middle for colour. These touches make the boxes look so beautiful that even I get excited opening them.
By the second week they both started giving suggestions, Sarita wanted to add lemon zest to the chutney while Lekha figured out how to fold puris so they stay crisp and both wanted to try banana leaves in rice items for aroma. They have started owning their cloud kitchen and their confidence has grown so much in the last 4 months.
The best part is watching their children get involved. Sarita’s daughter folds labels, and her younger son counts spoons and tissues. Last week Sarita told me her children feel proud because “Aai is working now.”
Lekha’s children are excited too as last week she bought them new dresses for Diwali from her own earnings. She said they have never worn new clothes for Diwali before and her eyes filled while telling me this.
And then something unexpected happened for me personally. Sarita walked in with the biggest smile I have ever seen on her. She said, “Ma’am, I bought a mixer today with my money.”
A mixer, something I have always seen in every kitchen since childhood. I did not realise it could be such a big achievement but for her it meant she could work faster and take more orders. It meant independence.
Lekha told me she is saving up for a small refrigerator so she can handle festival orders next year. She said it very calmly but I could hear the excitement under her voice.
Sitting with them today, listening to their Diwali plans, I suddenly understood what Bandhini really does. It is not just about income. It is about tiny steps that feel like giant leaps. It is about watching a woman go from “I do not know if I can” to “Maybe I can try” to “I am doing this and my children are watching me.” To the bottom line “I can have a better life”.
Aditi, age 20
Cloud Kitchen Group (2023–24)
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