Voice 1
Hello and welcome to Spotlight. I'm Liz Waid,
Voice 2
And I'm Steve Myersco. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
The place was Bombay, India. The year was 1959. Seven women were working together. They were on the flat top of a house. They were making poppadoms (or papads). A poppadom is a very thin, round flatbread eaten with an Indian meal. When the women finished making the poppadoms they sold them to a local store owner. They received just ten rupees, about two US dollars at that time.
Voice 2
Today, fifty years later, this small group of women is still remembered. That is because the group has grown into a large organisation. There are now about 45,000 women in the organisation. They make poppadoms and other foods and products. Their organisation now receives over 10 million rupees every day.
Voice 1
Today's Spotlight looks at the organisation that has grown from that small group of women. The organisation is called Lijjat. Lijjat is now a very successful business in India. But it is very different from most companies. In this organisation, the money they receive is shared between all 45,000 members. And all 45,000 members are women.
Voice 3
‘I feel like I am living in a dream world. When we started our business it was not meant to become so big.'
Voice 2
These are the words of Mrs. Jaswantiben Jamnadas Popat, speaking to the BBC. She is one of the women that started Lijjat fifty years ago. She is now the only one of the seven women that is still alive. She is eighty years old, and she is still making poppadoms.
Voice 1
The seven women made poppadoms because they wanted to do something useful with their time. Normally, they would stay at home during the day. When the housework was finished they found they had nothing else to do. But they also did not have money to go out and enjoy themselves. So they decided to make poppadoms and sell them. They needed materials to make the poppadoms. At first they simply used the materials they had in their own homes.
Voice 2
After the first day's success they decided to invest more money in their idea. A social worker lent them eighty rupees. This was about seventeen dollars. The man who lent them the money was called Chaganlal Karamsi Parekh. He also gave them these wise words:
Voice 4
‘Do not accept financial gifts from anyone. Run your group as a business. Keep correct records of what money you make and spend. And remember the quality of your poppadoms is the most important thing.'
Voice 1
When the seven women first started making poppadoms they did not even have a name for their product. After a few years they decided they needed to choose a name. They invited people to send them ideas. One woman proposed the name Lijjat. This means ‘it tastes good' in the Gujarati language. It is also similar to the Hindi word, ijjat meaning ‘respect'.
Voice 2
Respect is an important part of the Lijjat group. One of the organisation's main aims is to help poor women to gain respect. The organisation helps them to be more independent. It also helps them to care for their families. These women are not just workers. They are members of the Lijjat sisterhood. This gives them particular rights. They are given equal power to the thousands of other sisters. They cannot lose their job without a good reason. They also cannot be forced to retire from their job.
Voice 1
Lijjat refuses to use machines to produce its poppadoms. Using machines could be quicker and cheaper. But it would mean thousands of women would lose their jobs. So, all the poppadoms are made by hand.
Voice 2
For the women of Lijjat, work begins before sunrise. A Lijjat bus takes them from their homes to work. The first thing they do at work is pray. They say a special prayer that the members can pray no matter what religion they are. Then at 4:30 work begins.
Voice 1
Ranjana Khandare is a member of Lijjat. She first started making poppadoms when she was very young. She would help her mother make them. Recently Ranjana told the BBC that working for Lijjat has helped her and her family,
Voice 5
‘All my life I have worked here. I know no other skills. But making poppadoms has made me independent. I pay for my three children to go to school. '
Voice 2
Lijjat does employ some men. But they are not able to become members of Lijjat. The female members share in the success of the business. That is because Lijjat is a cooperative organisation. This means that its members work together and share in the profit together. Every year they receive their part of the profit in gold coins. Lijjat also provides other opportunities to its members. They can go to classes to learn to read and write. They can also receive loans to help with special needs such as education.
Voice 1
Lijjat says that business, family and devotion are its central ideas - its core values. Lijjat's core value statement continues,
Voice 6
‘From the start, our organisation chose to work in a business-like way. That is, to produce quality goods at reasonable prices... It has also taken the idea of shared family love, concern and trust. Work in the organisation is done like a family doing work in the house. But, the most important idea used by the organisation is the idea of devotion. The organisation is never just a place to earn money - it is a place of worship. This is true for the member sisters, workers and supporters. It is a place to devote one's energy. This is not for his or her good, but for the good of everyone. In this organisation work is worship.'
Voice 2
Many businesses can make money. Lijjat does this, but it also changes lives. The women of Lijjat have chosen a different attitude to business. By devoting themselves to this work they have helped themselves, their families and others around them. When seven women met on the top of a house fifty years ago, they could never have imagined the success this idea would have.