This 'delicious' story of hearing and speech impaired couple will give you hope

A hearing and speech impaired couple is giving Thane a taste of delectable Maharashtrian cuisine through their home-made tiffin service

By the time we arrive at Pooja and Omkar Joshi’s apartment in Chandanwadi, Thane, the sun has already hit the half-way mark in the sky. The couple has just wrapped up the morning’s tiffin orders. But, the aroma of sheera lingers in the kitchen. A white board that hangs on the wall of the spacious room lists the number of orders for poha, upma and puran poli for the day, so we know exactly what we missed.

Omkar and Pooja Joshi prepare polis (dosa) at their Thane home. Pics/Sameer Markande

"Pooja updates it daily because the team needs to know the quantity they’re supposed to prepare, and if there are any last-minute requests," says Shubhada Joshi, Omkar’s mother.

The board is a communicating tool for the seven-member team at Pooja Catering Service, spearheaded by the young couple. Like these two, the staff is hearing and speech impaired. Shubhada uses sign language to help us communicate with the couple.

Their breakfast box usually comprises sabudana khichdi

As we take a seat in the living room that sees a flurry of activity every morning with Pooja filling the tiffins, marking the names of customers on each box, and Omkar dispatching them it’s evident that the duo is happy to take a breather.

"We normally relax in the afternoon, because our day starts at 5 am. Twice a week, I go to the nearby vegetable market at 4 am to buy the supplies," says Omkar, whose breakfast menu spans south Indian staples like idli and medu wada and the typically Maharashtrian poha and sheera.

Shubhada Joshi, Omkar’s mother, steps in when the couple needs to interact with customers

Launched three years ago on the day of Diwali, the catering service has been dishing out Maharashtrian snacks like sabudana khichdi, kothimbir vadi (coriander fritters made of chickpea batter), poha, aluwadi (a traditional Maharashtrian recipe made with colocasia leaves) and more around Thane, right until Mulund. The two, both 36 years old, have been hearing and speech impaired since birth. They run the enterprise from home, which they share with their two children and Omkar’s parents. What started as a 15-customer-a-month service, now caters to more than 800 people.

The service began as both — a means to earn a sustainable livelihood and kill time constructively.

"I’ve studied till Class 3 only. My parents did try getting me admission into other schools, but I was never inclined towards academics, so the teachers suggested I get vocational training," says Omkar, who also provides motivating vision boards for corporate offices.

Pooja, his wife of 10 years, would teach basic computer application at Kamlini School for Deaf and Dumb before launching the catering service. "I would get a monthly salary of Rs 3,000 which was not enough. Moreover, it was a part time job so I would get bored sitting at home," he adds. She, however, admits to always having had a flair for cooking. "After our wedding, my mother-in-law taught me Maharashtrian specialties like zunka bhakri (chickpeas or besan paste cooked with onions, curry leaves, ginger-garlic paste, cumin and mustard seeds, best served with bajra rotis) and bharleli vangi (aubergines a packed with fresh coconut and tangy spices)."

It was on one regular afternoon, while the family was sitting for lunch, that their mother-in-law pitched the idea of starting a catering service. Coming from a business family, with no experience in hospitality, the prospect seemed exciting, but risky. "We didn’t know how it would be received," says Pooja. "We would prepare dishes in small quantities, and let our neighbours try it for feedback before we launched," she says.

The first and only time that the couple invested in promotion of the service was via pamphlets with the morning newspaper. "The response turned out to be overwhelming. It was not just customers who called us for orders, but also parents of children with hearing and speech impediments requesting us to employ them," recalls Omkar, who now handles a team of five. "Our staff was hired from a nearby educational institute. After two months of training, they were ready to roll," says Omkar, who initially handled all the deliveries himself. The couple provides breakfast to their customers and, by 11.30 am, all deliveries are completed. On occasion, they also handle party orders. "When I’m out, my wife and I communicate through video-calling or WhatsApp. In fact, Pooja was the one to suggest video-calling. She is far more tech-savvy than I," he smiles.

It’s technology that’s helped the couple manage the orders without outside help. A large chunk of catering requests are managed through WhatsApp. "For instance, the professors at Joshi Bedekar College in Thane order breakfast every morning. If there’s any change in the order, they ping Pooja or me," he says.

Fortunately, the team hasn’t had any problems dealing with customers. "We request people to be a little patient and understanding with the staff because of their disability. We were worried how the two would manage, but they have exceeded their own expectations," smiles Shubhada as Omkar excuses himself to attend to a message from
a customer.

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