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.”