Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of

Innovations, Social Institutions and

Knowledge at the Grassroots

Submitted to -
Professor Anil Gupta, Anamika Dey, Navdeep Mathur
Associate Mr. Zoheb

Submitted by -
Shivani Munot
Roll No. 19443 | PGP 2019-21

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT, AHMEDABAD

 CONTENTS

Apne Aap.............................................................................................................................................3
Lijjat Papad.........................................................................................................................................3
 INSTITUTIONS OF EXCELLENCE

APNE AAP

Apne Aap women is a grassroots NGO that enables marginalized females to defy and stop
sex trafficking. The organization groups girls and women into smaller self-empowerment
groups to collectively work towards achieving their rights.

To put an end to sex trafficking, 22 women belonging to a red-light area of Mumbai came
together to form ‘Apne Aap’. In 1996, the co-founder, Ruchira Gupta, was making a
documentary on these women's lives. During the production and filming of the documentary -
The Selling of Innocents, the women, who were subjects of the film, found strength in one
another to fight against their circumstances. The group met in parks to continue their pursuits
and realized the strength of their collective bargaining. Thus, ‘Apna Aap’ was formed as an
NGO in 2002 to further the cause of improving the lives of sex workers who have been
victims of trafficking and put an end to sex trafficking.

The organization has attained collective excellence by addressing the root causes of
trafficking. They have tried to reduce the supply side by enabling the women to find other
means of livelihood and the demand side by running campaigns like 'Cool Men Don't buy
Sex.' They empower the women who face such circumstances by educating them about their
rights, building their self-confidence, and providing them hope for a better life.

Apne Aap's work has reduced the number of brothels from 72 to 5 and in Khawaspur from 17
to 1. Today, the network of at-risk women connected through Apne Aap has grown to 21,142
across 11 places in India. They are all being empowered to build a broader social movement
to end sex trafficking and make world a better place for everyone.

LIJJAT PAPAD

The majority of the people from the 90s and before will remember the 'kurram karram' ad of Lijjat
Papad. Let us get to know the story behind these papads.

Back in 1959, seven Gujrati women were contemplating how to minimize the financial difficulties
being faced by their households. They wanted a means of livelihood but were semi-literate; hence
they had no job opportunities and were inexperienced to start a business. So, they did what they knew
the best – rolling papads and selling them in the market by borrowing a meager sum of Rs 80. Today,
the venture has grown to employ ~45,000 sisters (“bens” as they are called) spread across 81 branches
and 27 divisions all over the country.

How did this organization run by semi-literate women find excellence to survive and grow for all
these years? Let us dive deeper into the story of Shri Mahila Griha Udyog Lijjat Papad or popularly
known as just Ljjjat Papad.
Purushottam Damodar Dattani helped the women with this papad venture and acted as their mentor.
As the papads started selling, the glory of the women entrepreneurs spread. This attracted more
women to join their movement, and they were able to expand their team to 200 women earning ~Rs
6,000 in turnover within just a couple of months of starting the venture. Then, the seven sisters took a
loan for further expansion from Chhaganlal Karamsi Parekh, who also mentored the organization.
Under Dattani's guidance, the women vowed to maintain the quality of their products. They did not
spend any money on marketing and instead focussed on 'quality consciousness.'

One example of their collective excellence and finding innovative solutions was showcased in the
second year of the business. In their first year of operation, they had to shut their operations for four
months during the rainy season as the rains would hinder the drying of papads. Hence, to avoid this
situation, they utilized a cot to keep the papads and placed a stove beneath the cot to facilitate drying.

Lijjat Papad strived to maintain its quality throughout the years and, in turn, won customer's trust. By
1966, the venture grew to be registered as a Society and was also named a "Village industry." They
achieved collective excellence by following a simple mechanism and their resolute focus on quality:

1. The only pre-requisite to adding a woman to the network is to abide by the quality guideline.
2. They source their raw materials from one place; for example, urad dal comes from Myanmar,
asafoetida from Afghanistan, and black pepper from Kerala. They distribute the same to their
branches to maintain product quality and consistency in taste.
3. Surprise visits are conducted at branch levels to ensure quality norms are being met, and papads
are being rolled in hygienic conditions.
4. Sarvodaya and collective ownership is practiced at Lijjat. Bens are co-owners and can choose
their area of work. They can also stand for elections and become part of the managing committee.

Through such simple measures, the institute has remained successful and relevant to date. They
adhere to their promise of empowering women and have not adopted mass-production technology to
replace their employees. Thus, Lijjat Papad is an excellent example of a “Make in India” company
that has made a mark and empowered numerous lives.