The seven founders of Lijjat Papad (Jaswantiben Jamnadas Popat and six others)

The story

On 15 March 1959, seven Gujarati housewives gathered on the terrace of an old building in Girgaum, Mumbai, and rolled out four packets of papad. They were semi-literate and wanted to earn a little to help their families. They had no money and started with ₹80 borrowed from Chhaganlal Karamsi Parekh, a social worker.

Parekh advised them never to accept donations. They followed that rule: the organisation says it has never taken charity, gifts or grants and runs on a commercial footing. Three months after the start, 25 women had joined. In 1966 it was registered as a society and recognised by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission.

Lijjat is run by its women members. The income or loss of each branch is shared by its members. By its 50th year in 2009, the BBC reported a turnover of nearly $100 million. Today it says it has 83 branches and 31 divisions in 16 states and gives self-employment to about 45,000 women. Jaswantiben Jamnadas Popat was the last surviving founder when the BBC met her in 2009.