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A differently enabled company
K.A. Shaji
Palakkad, December 16, 2017 00:00 IST
Updated: December 16, 2017 05:09 IST
[A differently enabled company]
5 directors of Handicrops Divyanga Impex are wheelchair-bound
For the first time in India, a company has been set up with the sole
objective of supporting differently abled artisans, by differently
abled persons. Handicrops Divyanga Impex, which was formed in Palakkad
recently, has eight directors, of which five are wheelchair-bound.
“It is an organisation run by the differently abled with the help of
the public to encourage self-employment. It will assist people with
disabilities and their families, individually or in groups. It will
help them access skill development programmes, and financial and
material resources,” said Lekha S. Kumar, a member of the company’s
social media supporters group.
K. Ranjini of Kilimanoor in Thiruvananthapuram is one of the company’s
beneficiaries. Now in her late thirties, she has been bed-ridden for
years due to spinal muscular atrophy. A talented water colour artist,
she is now happy that her hobby of making paper pens will get the
backing of a public limited company. The pens she makes lying in bed
will be sold across Kerala.
“I now feel that making paper pens could become a permanent source of
income that could help me support my family. It will no longer remain
just a hobby. These pens also help the environment as they are a
better alternative to the non-biodegradable plastic pens,” Ranjini
says.
100-odd members
Handicrops already has more than a hundred members like Ranjini, most
of whom work from home, making paper pens, LED bulbs, paper bags,
umbrellas, handmade soaps, jewellery, and other handicrafts. The
company plans to make devices such as electric wheelchairs, and
efforts are on to enrol more people into its fold.
According to the office-bearers, anyone who cares for the welfare of
the differently abled can take shares in the company, with the minimum
investment being Rs. 10,000, while the ceiling is Rs. 5 lakh.
For instance, Ashraf Haneefa from Alappuzha had always been
sympathetic to the cause. He has embarked on a mission to teach 100
physically challenged individuals how to make cloth bags.
Appeal issued
On Wednesday, he issued an appeal on social media asking friends to
donate used cotton saris and churidars for use in his training
programme.
Handicrops plans to develop its own brands. Its focus now is on paper
pens and umbrellas, having received orders for 50,000 pens. Half a
dozen units in Kasaragod, Kozhikode, and Thiruvananthapuram, owned by
differently abled individuals, will be brought under the company
banner.
K.A. Shaji
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