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Knead and roll a living
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Say Lijjat and a huge peppered pappad comes to mind. PRIYADARSSHINI SHARMA visits the only Lijjat unit in Kerala, at Mattancherry and finds out how cooperative efforts can pay rich dividends, economically and emotionally.
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BE IT a sadya, or a banquet or a meal at home, the pappad finds its due place on the dining table. No Indian meal is complete without it, and India's biggest `pappad' success story is undoubtedly, Lijjat.
Kerala's only Lijjat unit, at Mattancherry, that started 22 years ago, boasts of giving a meaningful life to over 90 women who work here. Run by the women for women, the unit is particularly unique for its homely atmosphere. "If we mechanise the production, then from 90 workers we will need only ten, and the rest of us will be jobless. Here we mix, roll and pack the pappads manually, with great love and care. Partial mechanisation came only six years ago when the dough-making machine was installed. Except for kneading, the rest is done by us," says Gracy Joseph, the unit `sanchalika'.
The day begins early for these women who are at work before 7 am. The dough is kneaded, now mechanically and kept ready for distribution. The `rolling sisters' arrive by seven and take kilos of mixture home, to roll and dry in the sun. The next day they are back with the end product, crisp and round. Then the pappads are weighed and payment made forthwith. Happily the next day's work is carried back home to be rolled out amidst home chores. "It is the convenient timings or more so the flexibility of it that keeps me coming here for work. I enjoy rolling pappads and get a daily wage for my work. I am quite happy this way," says Suja, from Palluruthy and a mother of two young kids. She with Chandravati, carry back loads of mixture for seven and more ladies from their area who join in this work. " We take turns to come and collect the dough. This way we save on bus fare and the following day we carry back their money too. When I'm busy some one else from among us comes for collection."
Lily Augustine from Nettoor does the same. She carries pappad mixture for other ladies from her area and "mostly we all sit around and roll pappads. All of us needn't come here everyday. Sitting at home we get work and money, and this is what attracts us to this ".
Husbands, brothers, and fathers too drop by every morning to take back kneaded dough for the womenfolk to roll out at home. Sometimes, 20 to 25 kilos of it.
"We keep a strict vigil of things here", says Gracy Joseph who has been with the unit since its inception. Having worked in all the three departments of the unit, from mixing and distribution, to rolling pappads, and packing, she heads the group. "For every kilo of mixture the ladies have to bring back pappads which are 800 gms in weight. Any shortfall in weight is fined. Besides, we keep a strict check on hygiene at their homes where they roll the mixture. Surprise checks and careful sifting of the end product is done by packing sisters. A penalty means a drop in income and so the ladies take extreme care in keeping to the rules of pappad making.
Another aspect we maintain strictly is the uniformity in size and shape. For this the rolling sisters are given a basic training."
Called sisters, this sisterhood has an undefined bonding. "By afternoon, when the rolling sisters have left and the rolled out pappads are drying in the sun, we sift and pack. While doing this, we sing along and exchange household news. Each of our problem is everyone's and no one feels alone, ever," continues Gracy, mothering the ladies. Shanta Sukumaran, who is in charge of doling out wages, says, "I get work here daily and though returns are less, I have regular work and in the end some money. To get continuous work like this is next to impossible". Reiterating the same sentiment, Sunanda T.K, a grandmother, says, "Immediate cash in hand for work done is good but I wish when I leave the job, I will get some benefits. It is not like that here."
Working in a typical Indian home kitchen atmosphere, far from the cold cuts and thrust of a machine, stacks and stacks of pappads get ready to be packed in plastic packets and labelled, all which is sent from Mumbai. "I like this family atmosphere, In fact Lijjat is a family, by the women, for the women. It is truly a women's organisation, says the Sanchalika, who is no feminist.
The only males around in the all-women domain are the accountant S. K. Kumar and the attender M. Vijayan.
Says Mr. Kumar, " This unit is more or less autonomous. It is a charitable society because we send money for welfare causes as in the case of the Gujarat earthquake and before that to Latur. The daily wages have changed over a period. It was only Rs 1.50 for a kilo in 1981. Today we pay Rs 14 per kilo. Each lady is given an additional sum per kilo on Diwali as bonus. So a rolling sister who has rolled out 25 kilos of dough gets Rs 62.50 for her effort. Most of them who have been rolling pappad daily get Rs 4,000 or more. It is based on the number of kilos rolled out in a year. Minimum performance based earning has been Rs 750 and maximum Rs 5000."
Registered under the Bombay Trust Act as Mahila Griha Udyog, Lijjat is a society that gives employment to women who find it hard to get work elsewhere. The women who assemble everyday are a most contented lot and have the same refrain "All of us run our homes, cook for our families and thanks to this we bring home some money too!"
Monsoons pose a problem as the sun disappears for a number of days altogether and drying pappads outside is impossible. "Then the ladies dry the pappads on a cane basket inverted over a burner. A very traditional method but suits us fine as these women are expert in that and it is all there in their kitchen," explains Mr. Kumar, who hears out the ladies and attends to most of their problems, be it school; admissions or weddings of their children.
With no given template, no moulds, cutters, ovens or any modern day gadgets, it is the magic movements of the rolling pin that turns out the peppered dough into pappadoms, to be relished, devoured, nibbled and hogged.
Next time there is Lijjat pappad on the table, you sure can see a Chandralekha or Suja's dimpled fingers deftly roll out the crisp pappad. It is made with love and care, just like from your mama's kitchen.
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