Will and WIT

"Life begins at 40,” reminded the chairman of Women’s India Trust (WIT) Dolat Kotwal in her message on the occasion of the organization’s ruby anniversary celebration in April 2008. While the lay public may only associate WIT with their bottled jams and pickles or their linen and handcrafted accessories that are marketed in select retail outlets all over India, few may know of WIT’s silent efforts to provide employment opportunities to the needy and unskilled women.

The WIT team is particularly happy that on the occasion of its 40th anniversary they have received permission to train 40 students instead of 30 for their Multi-Purpose Health Workers Course recognized by the Maharashtra Nursing Council. Their course charges being negligible and the cost of tuition fees, food, accommodation (at the WIT Hostel) being prohibitive, "we are now trying to get funding in the form of scholarships for these girls to study,” explains Kotwal.

To educate women and make them employable remains the focus of WIT. To that end the Balwadi Teachers’ Training Course that has earned recognition from the S.N.D.T. Women’s University should help their students find more lucrative jobs. Additional courses in block printing and screen printing, making of soft toys, are committed to the WIT philosophy — "Helping women to help themselves.” The Kamila Tyabji WIT Centre at Panvel, named after its founder, is the hub of all these activities. Starting WIT with a donation of Rs 10,000 until her demise in 2004 at the age of 86, Tyabji sought to improve the prospects of disadvantaged women. Ladies employed full-time can avail of the WIT day-care center at Panvel which has facilities for 30 infants as also the Balwadi where nearly 100 children are given nursery training. A special health program in partnership with Forbes-Gokak seeks to offer medical assistance to the ladies. The two buildings at Panvel, constructed in 1983 and 1992, requiring major structural repairs, the funds generated from the ruby anniversary celebrations would partly help finance the cost.

Soon they will be introducing computer classes in collaboration with Sterlite Foundation for they believe in "Changing lives in a changing world” as was the theme of a seminar they organized in February 2008. The importance of being computer literate in a technology-driven world had been stressed by the sheriff of Bombay Indu Shahani when she was invited as chief guest to the Kamila Tyabji WIT Centre on January 25, 2008 to launch the ruby celebrations. President of WIT, Anu Aga had then exhorted women to avoid gender disparities, and referring to the decline in the population of women had pointed out that by 2020 the alarming gender ratio would be 80 percent men to 20 percent women.

(From left): Perveez Aggarwal, Anu Aga and Dolat Kotwal

To expand the market "for our textiles and foods now assumes top priority,” declares Kotwal who would like WIT to become more self-reliant and viable. Although WIT products "enjoy an enviable brand equity due to our excellent quality, being better than the commercial competitors, and a loyal base of customers,” they now have to explore unconventional approaches as "advertising has become cripplingly expensive,” she adds.

Friends of WIT, is the support group formed on the occasion of WIT’s 20th anniversary in 1988. Affiliation to this body is encouraged by paying life membership dues of Rs 5,000 or annual dues of Rs 400. Currently they have 106 life members of WIT and around 150 annual members. Friends of WIT are entitled to a 10 percent discount in the sales price of products, are invited to WIT activities and kept abreast of the latest developments through a newsletter. Whether in the sales department, public relations, administrative and marketing work or fund-raising, they are encouraged to volunteer their services in their chosen field. To promote WIT products, sales are held at the residence of some Friends of WIT and at other times WIT participates in NGO, institutional, corporate and club sales.

WIT products and courses conducted at the WIT Centre in Panvel

In the five years since she has taken over as president of WIT despite her time constraints, Anu Aga of Ther-max has spurred the governing body members to "consider WIT’s objectives anew and from a more pertinent perspective, namely achieving greater self-reliance, improving financial parameters, increasing marketing efforts, exploring new avenues and accepting diverse challenges,” as notes their 2008 newsletter. The other office bearers of WIT are vice chairman Vidya Ranadive, vice chairman and honorary secretary Dhanoo Khusrokhan, honorary treasurer Abha Mundra and joint honorary treasurer Dinoo Parakh. The chairman of the Ruby Anniversary Celebrations Committee has been Perveez Aggarwal who with her "panache and flair” organized a gala dinner at the Taj on April 11, 2008 which raised 22 lakh rupees.

"With our contacts we tend to rope in a good base of customers from the community,” conveys Kotwal. Referring to the "enthusiastic Parsi customers,” she tells us how they are ever-ready with suggestions or reports on how WIT jams serve as good toppings on ice-creams or in tarts.

Funding from Parsi founded trusts like Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, J. B. Wadia Charity Trust, the Bai Alamai and Seth Ardeshir Talati and Seth Sarosh B. Mody Charity Trust, Pirojsha Godrej Foundation, The Ratanbai and H. K. Bhabha Charity Trust, Katgara Foundation, Sorab and Coomi Mistry Foundation as also individual members of the community have helped WIT widen its sphere of help.

The Outreach Programme for the less privileged has carried lessons in tailoring and embroidery to women from the villages of Wazepur and Che-revalli, and the Train the Trainer program has been successfully instructing select candidates from Mahim, Bandra and Girgaum as also from Satara, expecting them to impart their knowledge of tailoring and embroidery to the ladies with whom they are in contact to raise their standard of living. With the induction of Shyamla Nath as CEO and Ravindr- an Chavan as development officer, WIT has sho-wn dynamism in its working, mentions the chairman.

Exports of home linen, paper products and toys is growing steadily with orders from the UK, Germany and possibly, the US. With the help from Alternative Trading Organisations that guide NGOs, food products too are now being geared for exports. To see WIT products on the cover of the Amnesty International Catalog, October 2007 was a matter of immense pride to the organizing team. Committed professionals Astad Parakh and Uday Mallik, introduced to WIT by Aga, have given generously of their time and expertise to boost WIT food sales in a highly competitive but expanding local market, acknowledges the newsletter.

Presently WIT has 60 staff members employed at the WIT Centre, their head office at Mahim (110/111, New Udyog Man­dir, Moghul Lane, Mahim, Bombay 400016, tel: 24462506) and showroom at Tar­deo, and about 100 wage workers who are given piecemeal assignments. On a given day some ladies who are trained come to take the work order from WIT — appliqué bedsheets, patchwork quilts, shopping bags, cushion covers, oven gloves and soft toys — and deliver the finished product a week later.

Kotwal herself has completed 25 yea-rs in the service of WIT, having been inducted on the governing body in 1983. For many years thereafter she worked as honorary secretary and later as vice chairman before she took over as chairman nearly five years ago. Referring to the difficulty in finding volunteers today, Kotwal comments, "We need people who are committed and regular…people who are responsible…In earlier times volunteering was an acceptable way of using your time and resources.”