Jai Wadia

Instead of a handout, hold out a helping hand. That's the principle which enabled the Taj Group to transform a group of ordinary Mumbai fisherwomen into a collective business enterprise

A plush conference room in a leading luxury hotel is an unusual meeting venue for a group of fisherwomen. But these are no ordinary fisherwomen. They are members of Shree Fish Suppliers, a self-help group based in a fishing village in Mahim, a suburb of Mumbai. They supply fish to three Taj Group hotels in Mumbai — the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, the Taj President and Taj Lands End. Last year, they registered a turnover of Rs 30 lakh. And they have just bagged an annual contract for the current year worth Rs 1 crore!

At their annual meeting with the management at the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower in Mumbai, Manjulatai — who heads Shree Fish Suppliers — and her team of 15 women, clad in their uniforms of neat blue floral saris, confidently discuss the progress they have made in the last year. Fresh from the success of executing their first annual contract, the women have come armed with sales and revenue figures, and a determination to do even better this year. They are not very educated and do not speak English, but they do not hold back from expressing their viewpoints and ideas for the business initiative they have bravely ventured into.

Addressing the group in Hindi, Farhat Jamal, area director (Mumbai) and general manager, Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, said, "You have great potential for this business and we, at the Taj Group, are happy to support this initiative and be of help to so many families. We hope some day Shree Fish can be the sole supplier of fish not only to Taj hotels but to other hotels in Mumbai as well." He emphasised the importance of supplying high-quality, fresh fish, adding that the Taj Group would continue to extend its support to women in whatever way it could.

This initiative is an extension of a project that N. Srinivasan, regional materials manager at the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, Mumbai, set up in 2004 when he was with the Taj Coromandel, Chennai. Mr Srinivasan had successfully engaged a women's self-help group to supply fresh fish fillets to the Taj Coromandel, as part of the company's community initiative for building livelihoods.

Asked to replicate the same project in Mumbai, Mr Srinivasan was looking for a cohesive women's group in Mumbai, when he noticed that a group of fisherwomen regularly came to pick up katamundi (fish bones and heads) from the hotel kitchens, to sell them and earn money. He started talking to them. Impressed by their willingness to work and determination to succeed, he offered them the opportunity to supply fish to the hotel on a regular basis.

Over several meetings, he explained the process, encouraging them to form a vendor group. "At first they were scared, as they had never done business on such a scale," says Mr Srinivasan. "It took months of discussion and training to get them to begin in a small way. We had to explain the importance of hygiene, and that quality and timely delivery was of paramount importance in the hospitality business." Mr Srinivasan drew on the learnings from his experience in Chennai. "A personal touch is extremely important," he emphasises, "and, to give them confidence, we made sure that they had easy access to us in case of any difficulties."

It was not easy. The women had to learn the ropes of business, become entrepreneurs and compete against well-established vendors. But they persisted. As the days went by, they gained in confidence and soon bagged larger orders. Every morning, eight women head for Mumbai's wholesale Crawford Market to bargain over fresh pomfret, bekti and ladyfish, according to the orders given by each of the hotels. They then break up into three groups and head for the three hotels in cabs. Other women sit in a small shack close to their homes, painstakingly cracking open crab shells to prepare ready-to-eat crabmeat. This is an additional source of income for them.

A year of business has transformed these women, from unassuming and unsure individuals to determined entrepreneurs, confident of tackling challenges. From deciding to wear uniform saris to approaching banks for loans and voicing their opinions, these fisherwomen are slowly but surely empowering themselves while giving their families a better quality of life. "Life was very tough earlier," says Manjulatai, "we had to run the house and pay school fees on a meagre income. With money from this business, there is less stress and tension." Most of the women are, in fact, the sole earners in their families.

They thank Mr Srinivasan and the Taj management for changing their lives. "They encouraged us and gave all the support we needed," says Ekta Tare, their designated spokesperson. As business increases and they establish themselves further, they hope more fisherwomen will be able to join the group. This would benefit more families in their community.

Last year they sold fish worth Rs 30 lakh and made a profit of Rs 83,000. This year they have a contract to supply 50 per cent of the hotels' seafood supply, with a projected business of Rs 1 crore. Naturally, they hope to make a much bigger profit. The plan includes investing in a delivery van, as the order size has increased. "Getting the annual contract is like a dream come true. We will work harder and do even better this year," says Kirti Patil, a college graduate who manages their accounts.

For Mr Srinivasan, this is one more successful initiative. "Community work has always been a passion for me and my family. We were doing our bit earlier, but I always felt I could do more," he says. The Taj Group encourages initiatives that, rather than give handouts, hold out a helping hand. They have always proved more beneficial.

"We try to do our bit from the purchasing side," says Mr Srinivasan. "We are also doing some work with cancer patients. Rather than making donations, we place orders for laundry bags and napkins." To help build livelihoods, the department also sources dusters from the Happy Home School for the Blind and baskets from a group of adivasi (tribal) women in Gujarat.

Mr Srinivasan hopes that these unique initiatives will have a ripple effect and become a national movement that benefits many more local communities. The mutually beneficial business initiative with Shree Fish Suppliers certainly seems to have worked. Whilst giving back to the community, Mr Srinivasan and the Taj Group seem to have hauled in a prize catch.

Uploaded on June 14, 2006