An organisation in Kolkata is working for a life of dignity and self-reliance for the differently-abled.
Silence can speak louder than words. The message it carries can also be far more forceful. In the last 13 years since it was formally registered, Silence, an organisation for physically-challenged people, has done exactly that — carried a message of self-reliance and self-respect.
The idea of Silence took birth in 1976 when Samir Roy, a geologist, gave up his job with the Geological Survey of India to help a group of youngsters who were hearing impaired. It wasn’t long before the organisation started extending support to people with other forms of physical problems.
Roy says even though many of the people who became part of the organisation could not see, hear or speak, they never had trouble communicating with one another. “Necessity and compulsions have taught us to communicate,” says Chanchal Sengupta, coordinator, Silence, which imparts vocational and crafts training to differently-abled people.
Today, Silence is a member of the International Fair Trade Organisation and a recipient of several accolades, including the President’s award. It has an outlet in the Dakshinapan shopping complex in south Kolkata that sells handmade greeting cards, woodcraft, jewellery, chocolate boxes and candles, all made by differently-abled people. A bulk of the products is exported to the Middle East, Europe, Japan, Australia and the US. Last year, the organisation recorded a turnover of Rs 4 crore. Silence has also bagged contracts with almost all the noted luxury hotels in the city including ITC and Hyatt. “We got these contracts through a fair competition after winning tenders and not because of any other consideration,” says Sengupta with pride.
The organisation has ensured direct employment to almost 130 people. The employees, whose average income is Rs 3,500 to Rs 4,000, have been given medical cover, provident fund and ESI facilities. Silence, which has a profit sharing scheme with its employees at the end of every financial year, has also started data entry, and art and crafts courses in collaboration with the Jadavpur University. A commercial art training course, too, has been initiated in association with the West Bengal government’s vocational training department. The organisation ensures 100 per cent placement for all the students. While some of them choose to work for Silence, others are absorbed by companies like KFC, Café Coffee Day and PepsiCo.
Silence is now planning to set up an old age home for its employees. Sengupta explains, “Despite our economic self-reliance, society is far from inclusive. Therefore, we would like to have a place of our own where our employees can live with dignity after they retire.”