The Taj Mahal New Delhi, in association with the NAB India Centre for Blind Women & Disability Studies [a not-for-profit founded in 2002 that works to empower women with visual disabilities], has launched the Blind Bakes Café, an initiative dedicated to providing culinary and housekeeping skills to visually impaired women.
The Blind Bakes Café both serves as a training ground and showcases the work of visually impaired chefs in the hotel’s associate dining room.
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The collaboration has been praised as a significant step in fostering social responsibility.
The endeavour aligns with IHCL’s sustainability framework
Satyajeet Krishnan, area director and operations and general manager of the Taj Mahal New Delhi, emphasised the hotel’s commitment to equality, inclusion and sustaining livelihoods.
The initiative uses the term “Paathya”, derived from the Sanskrit term पथ्य, which means “path”. It draws inspiration from the core values of the Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) as it aims to create meaningful opportunities for the visually impaired community.
Paathya aligns with IHCL’s sustainability and social impact framework and reflects the company’s commitment to positive change through environmental stewardship, social responsibility, excellence in governance, preserving heritage, value chain transformation and sustainable growth.
Pursuing diversity and inclusion in hospitality
Founder and director of the NAB India Centre for Blind Women and Disability Studies Shalini Khanna Sodhi praised Blind Bakes as an unparalleled story of diversity and inclusion.
She highlighted the remarkable achievements of blind chefs, emphasising that the initiative empowers visually impaired women by integrating Blind Bakes into their staff cafeteria.
She described the initiative as a testament to the commitment of both entities in providing equal opportunities and breaking barriers.
