Having successfully completed its first year, the Olaiputtu restaurant in Thoothukudi, run by a group of women Sri Lankan refugees, took a pledge to focus on hygiene, and delivering quality food to its customers.
The novel initiative was started with the objective of making the women self-reliant, by a group of like-minded people from different walks of life including those from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), who shared their views with Lok Sabha MP Kanimozhi, about a year ago. Agreeing to help, Ms. Kanimozhi held discussions with Social Welfare Minister P. Geetha Jeevan, Thoothukudi Mayor N. P. Jagan and the Collector.
The women, who had experience in cooking Sri Lankan dishes with traditional recipes and were selling food items in their refugee camps in Thapaathi, Maapillaioorani and Kulathuvaipatti, were offered a space spanning 1,000-sq. ft., owned by the Thoothukudi Corporation near the First Gate.
As a special gesture, the Thoothukudi Corporation, through a resolution, waived off the deposit money to be collected from refugees, and fixed only the monthly rental amount, as mandated by the rules. “This was a very big boost for us,” said Rohini Pereira, one of those on the Olaiputtu team.
Interacting with visiting journalists from different cities in southern Tamil Nadu, who attended a day-long workshop organised by the UNHCR, Ms. Rohini said that they did face difficulties in running the restaurant on a daily basis but overcame them with grit and support from Satchithananda Valan Michael, head of the field office of the UNHCR and others.
The UNHCR’s assistant external relations officer, Rama Dwivedi told The Hindu: “Olaiputtu presents a remarkable example for several refugee women, inspiring them to break barriers, become self-reliant and contribute meaningfully to their communities. The UNHCR is working very closely with the State and district authorities, our partners on the ground, who have put forward the agenda of women self-reliance as their top priority.”
Plans to expand
With the completion of one year, the Olaiputtu restaurant owners are slightly hesitant, but also confident of spreading their wings to other cities in southern Tamil Nadu. “We have learnt the nuances now and we can branch out. Maybe we can set up a branch in Tirunelveli,” the owners sad suggested.
Speaking at the function, Ms. Kanimozhi said that she would be glad to help them in taking their eatery to the next level. She also stressed that there must be no compromise in quality and hygiene. She appealed to the district administration and the civic authorities to patronise Olaiputtu by placing orders with them. “This will help in giving them much-needed support in multiple aspects,” she said.
Thoothukudi District Collector G. Lakshmipathi, Corporation Commissioner S Dinesh Kumar, Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry secretary D. R. Kodeeswaran and others also participated.
