Supreme Court sends a message of inclusivity with Mitti Cafe opening on its premises 

The Supreme Court of India makes an inclusive move by welcoming Mitti Cafe, managed entirely by persons with disabilities, on the court premises

Seven months ago when Alina Alam, the founder of Mitti Cafe, was speaking at a Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry event in New Delhi, little did she know that Mitti Cafe would find a space within the premises of the Supreme Court of India. Priya Hingorani, a senior advocate at the Supreme Court, who was present immediately suggested opening a Mitti Cafe at the Supreme Court. On November 10, Chief Justice of India (CJI) Justice DY Chandrachud inaugurated the 750 square foot cafe on the premises. Most of the decor and furniture there is made by persons with disability and their caregivers.

Expressing hope for support from the legal community, the CJI urged them to endorse the initiative. “I hope the bar will support the initiative,” he said. The inaugural ceremony also featured a cultural performance by persons with disability, including singing of the National Anthem in sign language.

Mitti Cafe is a social initiative of the Mitti Social Initiative Foundation, a non-profit organisation dedicated to providing employment and livelihood to persons with disabilities. Started in 2017, at present there are 41 such cafes at various locations across the country, it provides employment to adults with disability. Some of the outlets are located at Bengaluru International Airport, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai, multinational companies, hospitals and colleges. The cafe has sold over 11 million meals and beverages so far and employed 4,000 persons with disability including acid attack survivors, single mothers and also caregivers of persons with disabilities.

Alina says that this collaboration with the Supreme Court not only breaks down stigmas around disability but also signifies a commitment to promoting diversity, challenging stereotypes, and showcasing the talents of persons with disability. Alina was 22 years-old when she started Mitti Cafe with zero investment. “Having been brought up by my grandmother in Kolkata who had motor disability after developing spinal cord issues, I saw her life closely. Instead of sitting for college placements in Bengaluru, I started volunteering with organisations that work with the disability inclusion space. I wanted to create a model which is visible, tangible, interactive, creates awareness on inclusion, and what better than food as a denominator to generate livelihood,” adds Alina who is now based in Mumbai.

The first cafe was started in Hubballi, North Karnataka in a dilapidated tin shade offered by the Deshpande Foundation. Alina went door-to-door asking people to join the movement. All the equipment needed for a small cafe was donated by strangers. She bought second-hand items such as refrigerators and ovens. The very first employee of Mitti Cafe was Kirti Kale who literally came to the cafe crawling due to paraplegia. Back then she couldn’t afford a wheelchair but today she has one. She is the cashier and manager of Mitti Cafe, Yeshwantpur in Bengaluru and manages 10 other people under her and financially supports her family.

She reached out to NGOs to hire staff, and recruited adults with disabilities from the streets who were either begging or homeless. “We have an experiential training programme for our candidates who have not gone to school. Over the two-month training period they are taught skills such as differentiating between dry waste and wet-waste. The training period depends on the candidate. At present we have 35 trainers in different locations.”

The candidates can be above 18 years and are engaged in all kinds of jobs such as, customer service executive, assistant managers, assistant chefs, kitchen helpers and so on.