From Darkness to Delight: NAB India's Blind Bake Cafe Story

In the year 2002, Shalini Khanna decided to write a research paper surrounding the lives of blind women. With a desire to shed light on the plight of blind women in India, she delved deep into the research. What she found out was disheartening as she saw blind women living in the shadows, forgotten and forsaken.

“Imagine a life where you eat your first meal when your family members return home from work at night. Seeing this harsh reality, I dedicated myself to incepting and building NAB India- Centre for Blind Women and Disability Studies which would give a variety of training courses for educated and uneducated visually impaired women,” says Shalini. 

The first stage of the Centre’s mission was to teach blind women how to cook for themselves. Under the watchful eye of sighted mentors, these women learned to prepare meals like dal, roti, chawal and sabzi. It was a small step, but it was a giant leap towards self-sufficiency. The next step was to train these women to cook in larger batches, upholding hygiene standards. Once they learned that, Shalini decided to help these women become self-reliant and stand proudly on their feet as independent women. Thus, the foundation of the ‘Blind Bake’ cafe was laid.

ABOUT BLIND BAKE CAFE