Voices Anand Neelakantan Ravi Shankar Ajai Sahni Utkarsh Amitabh Shampa Dhar-Kamath Mata Amritanandamayi THE new sunday express MAGAZINE Buffet People Wellness Books Food Art & Culture Entertainment jUNE 8 2025 SUNDAY PAGES 12 Food For Thought All across India have sprung up cafes run by uniquely challenged individuals sponsored by committed people and organisations where social prejudices and long-held biases are confronted by serving customers who, too, wish to make a difference By Iram Ara Ibrahim T he bell above the café door chimed softly Twenty-two-year-old Kajal—70 per cent . blind in one eye and visually impaired in the other—walked over to the cafe’s door, her breath caught somewhere between fear and excitement. This was her first job as a barista and she wanted to prove that there was more to her than her disability But it . wasn’t easy Not just because of the physical challenges, customers often looked past her; . some avoided eye contact altogether. She went home those nights with bruised pride. By the second week, Kajal had found her rhythm. She could make the best caramel flat white in the shop. She started to recognise regulars by their voice and often by their perfume. The café had become her safe space—not because life was perfect, but because she had shaped it to include her. She had made herself seen. Kajal’s story of inclusivity and independence is not an offbeat example. There are many young women and men like her who have found the courage within to soldier on even after life dealt them a crushing blow. And they are supported by individuals and organisations to reinvent themselves and proudly participate in society which was , unthinkable a few years ago. Suchismita Das, assistant professor of sociology Govt Degree College, , Mangalkote, West Bengal believes acceptance is key to helping survivors or victims heal. “Accepting food served by survivors of any attack, disease, or deformity is the first step towards helping in the process of normalising their lives. Our need for an illusory idea of ‘perfection’ in our consumption often prevents us from accepting food from the survivors of trauma,” Turn to page 2 RECLAIMING LIFE: Noida-based Chhanv Foundation operates Sheroes café, run by acid attack victims ON POINT: Mumbai’s Café Arpan is changing perspectives about people with Down’s Syndrome and Autism
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