Mo re women joined and this self-help group, began to grow. The main problem they faced, was the lack of funds. They first started out with a borrowed amount of Rs.80 The organisation believed in self-reliance and as a matter of principle, sought no monetary help from any quarter. What really helped them was the excellent quality of their products |
 How they work...
• Only women can join as members.
• Each member can take part in any decision or veto it as she deems fit.
• They take a united decision when it comes to apportioning the profit and loss, among them selves.
• They do not discrimination on the basis of religion, caste, creed or class.
• Due respect is given to all work, whether big or small.
• The members are free to choose the work they like eg. rolling papads, packing, or preparing the dough.
• Men cannot become members and a male employee has no rights whatsoever over the institution.
• Their office at Prabhat Road is run completely and solely by women
“Needing” the Dough..
• Every afternoon, a group of women, under supervision, measure the dry ingredients necessary for making the basic dough of the papad.
• Metal bins, with a capacity of 11 kgs are filled with the carefully measured moong or urad flour.
• Required spices are sprinkled over this, eg. Pepper, garlic, chilly etc.
• Salt is stirred in vats and kept overnight so that it dissolves completely.
• The next batch of women arrive at 5.30am, to knead the dough.
• A supervisor, then weighs out a portion of two or four kg each, to the women who come in.
• These women return the following day, with the rolled and dried papads which are again weighed and packed, 27 in a packet.
The Success Story…
• Today Lijjat now has its own fleet of trucks for distribution, and buses to pick up the women.
• They have also diversified into additional products eg. Masalas, agarbattis, sago wafers, khakhras etc
• They also market Sasa detergent powder and washing soap.
• Today Lijjat also exports papads to the tune of Rs. 4.5 crores and their annual sales turnover is over Rs. 45 crores.
• Lijjat has paved the way for thousands of women to become self-reliant and self-confident.
• They attribute their success to one simple fact: quality!
Their pledge reads as “a commitment to earn a legitimate income, honesty, and not snatching the fruits of another person's income”. It is their solidarity and commitment to quality that binds them together, and has led these women entrepreneurs to taste the fruits of success
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The role and responsibility of entrepreneurs is changing as India changes. This is an important issue to think about, because the nature of entrepreneurship is different in India- it is more complex, complicated and more granular than the West. 
List out business ideas and make your choice. Once you have identified your business idea, find out what you will require eg. Staff, inventory, storage space, communication network, stationary etc 
and “ Lijjat” on them? Yes, today, Lijjat has become synonymous with papads as well as women entrepreneurs! Read on, as we roll out this success story and what lies behind…
seven women gathered on the terrace of a residential building in Mumbai. They rolled out papads and took a firm decision to continue making papads everyday. Today, it has over 40,000 members working at 46 centres all over the country. 