MAKING EVERY OPPORTUNITY COUNT!

A TRUE CHAMPION OF WOMAN EMPOWERMENT WHO WORKS TIRELESSLY FOR THE UPLIFTMENT AND FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE OF WOMEN ACROSS ALL AGE GROUPS AND SOCIAL STRATA. FROM THE FAMOUS AMMOOMMATHIRI? THAT CREATED INCOME FOR ELDERLY WOMEN IN OLD AGE HOMES TO PLANTABLE PAPER PENS CALLED PEN WITH LOVE’, CHEKUTTY’ DOLLS AND KARUNA’ DOLLS THAT HELPED REVIVE THE HANDLOOM INDUSTRY SHATTERED DUE TO THE KERALA FLOODS, SHAYYA’ THE HANDWOVEN MATTRESSES FOR THE NEEDY AND HOMELESS CREATED FROM SCRAP MATERIAL OF PPE KITS) AND TOIL-LESS’ A CHAIN OF CLEAN AND SAFE WAYSIDE TOILETS FOR WOMEN ON THE GO SOCIAL PROJECTS BY PURE LIVING’ ARE NOT JUST BRILLIANT BUT ITS AMAZINGLY FUNCTIONAL. AS HER LATEST PROJECT CHOOLALA WEARABLES’ BY THE BLIND PICKS UP PACE, LAKSHMI MENON, SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR AND FOUNDER OF PURE LIVING HAS A FREEWHEELING CHAT WITH RIYA SONNY DATSON AS SHE REVEALS WHY THIS PROJECT IS SO SPECIAL TO HER.

It all started when Lakshmi decided to accompany her family to an Ayurveda Resort. The beautiful resort by the beach was surrounded by coconut trees and she noticed that the housekeeping staff were regularly discarding coconut leaves as a part of their cleaning routine. Being the creative bee, she offered to make brooms using these discarded leaves and the hotel personnel were happy to oblige. To give it an extra edge, she wove a thin piece of cloth into the outer layer of sticks thus creatong a pattern. Once pictures of her creation were shared on social media, her product garnered a lot of attention and soon they were umpteen requests for it. She saw the golden opportunity taking shape for women of low income groups to work from the comfort of their homes. Thus the seeds were sown for project Choolala’. Chool’ means broom in Malayalam)