Resto run by women staff

Tucked away at Hill Top Colony in Sainikpuri, these women working in this restaurant have been fighting against the odds in order to earn for themselves. These women come from different troubled backgrounds like - homemakers subjected to regular abuse by their alcoholic husbands, no means to fend for themselves, saved from early marriages and school dropouts.

Today, the women together run an eatery which is perhaps the only all-women run eatery in the entire city of Hyderabad.

This women-based eatery is a brainchild of Hima Bindu. Probably, around 3 years back, she was on headlines as the 'first female cab driver in Hyderabad' who was hired by Ola. In 2018, after she left her job, she along with her husband started this eatery, which started out as a venture for people with intellectual disabilities, later turned out to be an enterprise for women to earn their own living.

Hima says, "Anand Bhawan was initially planned as a coffee shop to provide employment to people with intellectual disabilities, but we soon backtracked realising they needed help in a more closed and protective environment. My husband and I decided to begin the eatery with our own money and provide employment to women from the lower economic strata. We were working among women in the suburbs too and hence we were familiar with their problems and priorities. It was difficult to convince the families to send them to work, but now, they are no longer dependent on their husbands and are financially independent."

As a step towards decreasing the use of plastics, they provide tiffins in banana leaves and parcels in paper bags. However, those who wish to take sambar as parcel need to get their own tiffins.

However, it was not an easy task for the women to run an eatery in an area that had never seen women running a small kirana shop, let alone a whole restaurant.

As the eatery is located close to the main road, the women here faced a lot of mocking and teasing from men. These women cannot let their families know about these, as they will be forced to stay at home. However, they inform the nearby police officials.

Hima says, "I personally counsel all my girls regularly on how to behave with customers. When we see a tough customer, we become more tougher, and the local police are always supportive. Actually, I don't find it difficult but rather challenging. That's what even I want my girls to do in their personal lives. Take up challenges with brave heart rather than weak ones."

As of now, there are eight women staff working in this eatery. During the pandemic, they had stopped to dine in and were running only with take away and online deliveries.