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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 8:56:24 pm

The Woman Behind Lijjat’s Enduring Legacy

Part - 7 Who: Swati Ravindra Paradkar Where: Mumbai, Maharashtra For the unassuming Swati Ravindra Paradkar, President of ‘Shri Mahila Griha Udyog Lijjat Papad’ (SMGULP), ‘Lijjat Papad’ is more than an institution - it symbolizes and the dignity of the handful of seven women who launched and built an extraordinary enterprise with their blood, sweat and tears, surmounting untold odds. Paradkar, 66, is heading SMGULP since over a decade – a place she tiptoed as a shy 10-year-old schoolgirl...

The Woman Behind Lijjat’s Enduring Legacy

Part - 7 Who: Swati Ravindra Paradkar Where: Mumbai, Maharashtra For the unassuming Swati Ravindra Paradkar, President of ‘Shri Mahila Griha Udyog Lijjat Papad’ (SMGULP), ‘Lijjat Papad’ is more than an institution - it symbolizes and the dignity of the handful of seven women who launched and built an extraordinary enterprise with their blood, sweat and tears, surmounting untold odds. Paradkar, 66, is heading SMGULP since over a decade – a place she tiptoed as a shy 10-year-old schoolgirl after her father’s demise – and has since dedicated 56 years of her own lifetime to build the organization that has transformed the lives of over 45,000 poor women across India, helping to make them Atmanirbhar in the truest sense. Launched on March 15, 1959 by seven women from Girgaum on a ‘borrowed’ capital of Rs 80, Swati’s mother had joined the Wadala branch in 1969. She followed in 1970 to enrol as a ‘papad-rolling’ Sister-Member to supplement the family income and completed her SSC. What began as a means of earning a livelihood became a lifelong association with an institution whose story mirrors the courage and determination of generations of working women. Armed with her experience in different positions in Bandra, Kandivali and other locations handling multiple departments, she grew rapidly in SMGULP. She became a Managing Committee Member in 1989, and served as Secretary till 1995 – growing with the organization. Starting with rolling out modest papads, SMGULP has today become a massive industry giving economic independence to over 45,000 women. Their grueling daily regimen begins at 4.30 am – kneading the dough, rolling and shaping it and then the papads are dried, packed and marketed to domestic and international markets, said Paradkar, speaking with The Perfect Voice and Vruttamanas. Working in humble, next-door surroundings, dingy chawls in slums or rented premises, sharing all responsibilities with a smile and commitment while adhering to strict quality controls, and fighting growing market competition, the women were determined to earn with dignity while balancing domestic chores and family commitments. Over the past 67 years, the modest initiative has mushroomed into an awesome institution with 84 branches and 31 divisions across 16 states, providing self-employment to more than 45,000 sister-members, who produce over 5 billion papads, with turnover of over Rs. 1,600-crore, annually. Besides papads, SMGULP offers a bouquet of other home products and provides self-employment opportunity to women by giving them a window to national and global markets. The deserving children of the sister-members are awarded scholarships to pursue higher education. The SMGULP is heavily involved community services, and contributes to providing relief to people affected by natural calamities like earthquakes or floods. Paradkar says with pride that “Lijjat’s legacy is not simply the humble papad that reaches millions of homes but the dignity, independence and collective strength of the women whose hands have rolled and shaped its history.”

Dangerous Departures

Correspondent
Oct 29, 2024
2 min read

Updated: Oct 30, 2024

Dangerous Departures

In yet another shocking incident adding to Mumbai’s infamous tryst with stampedes, chaos erupted at Mumbai’s Bandra Terminus following a weekend stampede that left at least ten persons injured, two critically so. A crowd surged toward the Gorakhpur-bound train with nearly 1,500 people vying for seats in 22 unreserved compartments, leading to the stampede. Several others narrowly avoided tragedy, with some even pushed onto the tracks. This is not a unique episode but rather a recurring theme in Mumbai’s bedevilled crowd management, one that has haunted the city’s public spaces, particularly as festive seasons magnify the crowds.


Mumbai is no stranger to stampedes. A horrifying incident in 2017 at Elphinstone Road Station left 23 people dead and nearly 50 injured. The cause was a familiar one: an overwhelming crowd confined to a narrow footbridge during peak rush hour. The tragedy sparked an outcry, with promises from authorities to upgrade infrastructure and enhance safety protocols. Yet seven years on, crowd-related incidents continue to be a constant danger. Today’s incident reveals a similar lapse—a lack of foresight in managing the thousands who gather on platforms ahead of Diwali, eager to return to family. That the Gorakhpur Express was unreserved and heavily crowded was predictable.


The issue lies beyond simply crowd density; it is emblematic of deeper systemic negligence. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), responsible for local public safety, along with the Railways Ministry, bear responsibility for ensuring order at such high-risk hubs. Although the BMC acknowledged the “festive rush,” it appears little was done to pre-empt it. Swift action could have been taken to either disperse the crowd or reroute passengers. Instead, chaos prevailed.


Political reaction has been swift but uninspiring. Aaditya Thackeray, son of Uddhav Thackeray, launched a scathing attack on the Union Railways Minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, branding the incident a result of the minister’s “incapable” leadership. This hardly addresses the immediate need: a substantive plan to manage crowds and prevent similar incidents.


Mumbai’s transport infrastructure remains sorely outdated. Platforms are undersized, signalling systems frequently falter, and crowd control mechanisms are grossly inadequate. Despite repeated accidents, there has been little investment in comprehensive crowd management systems or the deployment of personnel trained in emergency response. While railway footbridges were widened after the Elphinstone tragedy, Bandra’s incident demonstrates that such incremental changes are insufficient. Mumbai, which sees a swelling populace during festivals, demands a robust strategy to address its vulnerabilities. This should include technology-driven crowd monitoring, clear communication channels to inform passengers of platform conditions, and additional security and medical staff on high-demand days. It is essential that crowd management training for personnel becomes a priority rather than a reaction to tragedies.

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