Isha Outreach volunteers empower tribal women from a forest settlement near Isha Yoga Center to build their own business and create better lives for their community. Find out about their fascinating journey to self-reliance.
Sadhguru received a very warm welcome in Riyadh. He addressed an enthusiastic and highly engaged public gathering organized by the Embassy of India, Riyadh, answering questions of all kinds, and of course – talking about Soil.
Picture this. You’re walking up the ramp into an airplane for the very first time, your heart is pounding, and a ripple of excitement is raking through you. You get into your seat, fasten the belt, and just when you think you’re dreaming, you're up in the sky amidst the clouds. This was the general feeling among the tribal women who took to the skies on 22 July 2022.
Isha Outreach accompanied and enabled the tribal group – from the villages of Thanikandi, Madakadu, Mullankadu, and Pattiyar Kovilpathi – to become the first of their people ever to board a flight.
Chuckling at the memory, Swami Chidakasha, a core volunteer with Isha Outreach, recalls, “As soon as the plane lifted off the ground, all the women along with their families raised both hands in the air and let out a cheer.” The group was in absolute awe, looking at the world zooming out underneath them.
One of the ladies, with utter jubilation, describes her experience by saying, “I almost felt as though I could reach out and grab the clouds! It was like a dream.” Some even pressed their faces to the window, scanning the grounds for the Adiyogi statue. But to their disappointment, they could not spot him anywhere, which raised a rumbling laugh from the others.
From inviting them with a large welcome banner at Coimbatore airport to cutting a cake in honor of their maiden air travel and offering them food, Indigo Airlines went out of their way to make their experience ultra-special. Furthermore, after making the touchdown in Chennai, each was given a group photo that they’d taken before – perfectly preserved in a photo frame.
Sadhguru received a very warm welcome in Riyadh. He addressed an enthusiastic and highly engaged public gathering organized by the Embassy of India, Riyadh, answering questions of all kinds, and of course – talking about Soil.
Upon arrival in Chennai, the tribal women were interviewed by TV channels, and they spoke about Isha’s contribution in uplifting their lives. Their next pit stop was Satyam Cinemas, where PVR not only hosted them but received them with loud applause.
Film director Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi, daughter-in-law of Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, was so moved by these women that she insisted on personally meeting and congratulating them on their high-flying venture. “We were welcomed with so much love by people we’d never met before. We even interacted with Stalin’s daughter-in-law,” one of the akkas says, eyes sparkling in amazement.
“When we reached the theater, we couldn’t really make out where we were. It was only after seeing the huge banners that we guessed we would watch a movie on a big screen! What a surprise!” one of the women exclaims.
Living very simple lives in a forest settlement, these tribal women would hardly step out of their homes, which naturally limited their interaction with the outside world to almost zero. Traveling to a nearby town, let alone a bustling city like Chennai, used to be a far-fetched dream. Today, while retaining their humble way of being and childlike innocence, these women are highly esteemed members of their community, standing firm on their own two feet.
Sadhguru received a very warm welcome in Riyadh. He addressed an enthusiastic and highly engaged public gathering organized by the Embassy of India, Riyadh, answering questions of all kinds, and of course – talking about Soil.
As soon as visitors disembark from their vehicles, the majestic face of Adiyogi catches the eye, and the resounding Yoga Yoga Yogeshwaraya chant by Sadhguru hits the ear, creating a sense of awe and bliss. A little further down the pathway, a line of vibrant food stalls awaits them with a wide variety of popular snacks. And behind these counters, these lovely ladies wear another hat – that of entrepreneurs.
When Adiyogi was inaugurated in 2017, the number of visitors suddenly skyrocketed. Demand for merchandise, snacks, mini meals, and beverages swiftly came to the fore, inevitably changing the lives of the locals around Isha Yoga Center for the better. Courageous and willing, 11 spirited tribal women from Thanikandi, a village right at the foot of the Velliangiri Mountains, took on the challenge of launching their first tea stall.
The Thanikandi tribal community is located in the forest and has little means to engage in agriculture – the single most common occupation in rural Tamil Nadu. Hence, they end up relying on irregular sources of income, either from periodical wage labor or farm labor in other villages. To further exacerbate their predicament, only a handful have studied up to 8th grade, while the rest had to forgo education altogether to put food on the table on a daily basis.
Inspired, enthusiastic, and inclusive, Swami Chidakasha works closely with the local groups who reside around the Isha Yoga Center. On any given day, you’ll find him either keenly engaged with the villagers or incubating new ideas to ameliorate their lives.
One fine morning, he set out to the village and proposed the idea of setting up a food stall. He shares, “Getting the women of Thanikandi to agree to run a business was a huge challenge. Most were wary of kick-starting something they knew very little about.” Smiling, he adds, “It took some convincing. But after seeing their fruitful results, I’m glad I didn’t give up.”
Gayatri akka, one of the women running the stalls, recalls, “We didn’t know anything about sales, how to purchase materials, speak to customers, or make a profit. This offer was too much for us to fathom, but Swami assured us that Isha Outreach and other volunteers would support us no matter what, and that’s when 11 of us discussed this plan and finally agreed.”
At that moment, little did they know their lives were about to take a swift turn.
With an investment of Rs.200 per head and borrowed stoves and utensils, they had a tea stall up and running on 8 April 2018. However, this was not a one-day task for the ladies and Isha Outreach. Their success is the fruit of months of hands-on training and preparation. “Initially, everything from making tea to managing the crowd was a struggle for them, never mind the business part of it all,” says Swami Chidakasha.
“We didn’t know how to calculate profit, and would end up underselling our products,” recalls Gayatri akka. But over time, Swami’s guided intervention helped the women acquire new skill-sets in shop organization, money management, logistics, customer service, and supplies. It was a quite a pivot from their original lives, but they pushed through all the challenges.
“They’ve risen above all odds to create something worthwhile. Watching them transform was truly inspiring,” says Swami. As their revenue and profit rose, so did their social standing. Swami says, “The women are well respected in their community, so much so that the people even ask them to sponsor festivals like Diwali and Janmashtami.”
“We can now help educate the young generation so that unlike us, they can study and graduate. With the money we’re able to buy household essentials and new clothes for everyone. I even bought a bit of jewelry for myself,” Gayatri akka recounts with a touch of pride. “When we started experiencing this success, we were beyond happy. And now we’re making Rs.10,000–15,000 a month, so most of us have saving deposits too!”
On seeing the stalls successfully afloat, other tribals from Thanikandi and nearby villages, who were initially disinclined to the idea of starting a business, reached out to Swami. “Swami has arranged stalls for them next to ours. He tells us that even they should grow like us. We are proud to have set an example for everyone else,” says akka.
Sadhguru received a very warm welcome in Riyadh. He addressed an enthusiastic and highly engaged public gathering organized by the Embassy of India, Riyadh, answering questions of all kinds, and of course – talking about Soil.
Swami Chidakasha shares that Sadhguru pays a lot of attention to the welfare department, to the extent that Isha Outreach volunteers and the master himself would sit together, their heads brimming with ways to enhance the lives of the local communities. “Sadhguru has given me the opportunity to help transform lives, and nothing in the world can ever come close to the fulfillment that it brings,” Swami shares.
Holding her hands in namaskaram, Gayatri akka says, “The word ‘thank you’ will never be enough to express my gratitude to the ashram and its people. Right from birth, Isha Yoga Center has cradled and nurtured me. I will never forget the time Swami bought us a set of beautiful blue saris that we wore when we met Sadhguru. We thoroughly enjoyed speaking and laughing with him; we danced too! Today, I can support myself and my family, and all the credit goes to my Guru.”
