On Sunday (May 8), businessman Anand Mahindra took to Twitter to inform that the Mahindra Group has gifted a special kitchen to an impoverished woman named M Kamalathal on the occasion of Mother’s Day.
M Kamalathal is a resident of Vadivelampalayam village in the Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu. The elderly woman wakes up before sunrise each day, prepares 1000 idlis in her humble cottage and sells each for just ₹1. She prepares the batter, steams the idlis and grinds the chutneys.
Her objective is not to generate profits but serve humanity. She wants to make her idlis affordable for the daily wage labourers, migrant workers and their families. On learning about her story, Anand Mahindra posted a clip of The News Minute‘s coverage of the woman’s story on Twitter in September 2019.
He had tweeted, “One of those humbling stories that make you wonder if everything you do is even a fraction as impactful as the work of people like Kamalathal. I notice she still uses a wood-burning stove. If anyone knows her I’d be happy to ‘invest’ in her business & buy her an LPG fuelled stove.”
One of those humbling stories that make you wonder if everything you do is even a fraction as impactful as the work of people like Kamalathal. I notice she still uses a wood-burning stove.If anyone knows her I’d be happy to ‘invest’ in her business & buy her an LPG fueled stove. pic.twitter.com/Yve21nJg47
— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) September 10, 2019
In the video shared by Anand Mahindra, a man named Senthil could be heard as saying, “If you go to the neighbouring village, one dosa is ₹20 and Idli is ₹6. But here people eat it for just ₹1. They come from 2 km away and if they buy idlis worth ₹30, three people can eat. Lot of people come here, eat well and wish her the best.”
“And whether they give money or not, she accepts it. There are people who eat for ₹10 and there are others who eat 10 idlis but give ₹5. But as long as she is alive, a lot of people will eat well. “
M Kamalathal had informed that she earlier used to sell idlis for 50 paise but had to increase the price to ₹1 due to an increase in the price of ingredients. Also known as Idli Amma, the elderly woman had expressed her desire to expand her kitchen.
“Mr Pugal from Mahindra came to my hut. It was too congested. I requested him for a new house for me. He promised to check and get back to me,” M Kamalathal had informed.
Immense gratitude to our team for completing the construction of the house in time to gift it to Idli Amma on #MothersDay She’s the embodiment of a Mother’s virtues: nurturing, caring & selfless. A privilege to be able to support her & her work. Happy Mother’s Day to you all! pic.twitter.com/LgfR2UIfnm
— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) May 8, 2022
After she expressed the need for a better workspace, the Mahindra Group decided to act on it. A piece of land was bought and registered while Mahindra Lifespaces put together a house plan. A bhoomi pujan was conducted, followed by site excavation, bricklaying, roofing and painting.
The brand new building was handed over to M Kamalathal on the occasion of Mother’s Day. While speaking about the development, Anand Mahindra emphasised, “Immense gratitude to our team for completing the construction of the house in time to gift it to Idli Amma on MothersDay She’s the embodiment of a Mother’s virtues: nurturing, caring & selfless. A privilege to be able to support her & her work. Happy Mother’s Day to you all!”
