SHG food festival gives new entrepreneurial spirit to women

Women in self-help groups gain confidence to start entrepreneurial ventures through events like Unavu Thiruvizha, empowering them professionally.

It’s only through women’s self-help groups (SHG) that have I gained the confidence to start any sort of entrepreneurial venture, especially last year, said S. Lakshmi, from Villupuram on Monday. She is part of the Unavu Thiruvizha in Chennai.

The event is organised by the Tamil Nadu Urban Livelihood Movement (TNULLM) under the guidance of the Tamil Nadu Women Development Corporation (TNWDC). The event provides an opportunity to 150 women from 65 self-help groups to throw a spotlight on dishes from various districts.

Most of the women in the self-help groups have been running a small business since the last few years. “Our self-help group was formed 25 years ago but only in the last one year, our group has ventured into the packaged food business,” said S. Gandhimathi, 59, of Tiruppur SHG, who has a stall that sold Navadhaniyam idli podi and other packaged items.

She recalled how understanding money and filling out bank forms helped in gaining more confidence. “Its all about independence. The self-help group is about the ability to save and ensure there is back up. Now, we also know how to start a business. We have received encouragement and training from officials. We implemented on a small scale in our district. To see such a response for the self-help groups has given us much needed motivation,” Ms. Gandhimathi added.

From muttai mittai to Arcot biryani, the food festival left no dishes unturned. Lines for biryani stalls were the longest.

Speaking about the food festival, Executive Director TNULM Shreya Singh said that by looking at the response of the festival, there are plans to begin a chain of hotels or cafes run by the SHGs. “This food festival will also build the women into professional entrepreneurs. Many women did have business running but it was on a smaller scale. This will teach them business model and customer interaction,” she said.

The members were given online training from hygiene and cleanliness to cost control and business model. The festival has recorded over 1.5 lakh footfall over the last four days.