Kolkata: ‘Rakhal Da’s cafe’ on the College Street campus of Calcutta University—a whiff of nostalgia—kicked off its second innings on Thursday. This time, it has been reopened not just to satiate the hunger pangs between lectures, but to support a social cause. Staffed by young adults with intellectual disabilities, the cafe—rechristened as ‘Rakhal Da’s Cafable’—will counter social isolation often faced by such individuals. Calcutta University vice-chancellor Ashutosh Ghosh dubbed the venture as a ‘novel initiative’, transcending targets for national rankings and other achievements. “This is an inclusive endeavour, integral to the institution,” he said, adding that it was a collective responsibility to ensure that the initiative sustains and continues to get support from everybody. An experience lived overseas laid the foundation for the cafe’s transformation. Sujoy Ghosh, a CU faculty member, had the opportunity to come across inclusive cafeterias on campuses abroad while he was conducting a research on Down Syndrome and Autism. These places were run by people living with intellectual disabilities. This experience helped him replicate the initiative at CU.Ghosh envisioned the cafe to turn into a space, where the university community can collaborate and come up with a livelihood initiative that challenges social isolation among people with intellectual disabilities. “Alongside scientific research, we also need to develop social interventions,” he said.The initiative, led by the Able Fable Foundation, will be run entirely by people with disabilities. The cafe has a team of seven staffers currently. Tathagata Chatterjee, Debajyoti Bala, and Priyanka Kejriwal work in the kitchen. Pratigya Majumdar, Pritha Seth, Soumodeep Chakraborty, and Pinaki Chowdhury are at the forefront of the cafe operations. These staffers, beating all odds, underwent training for months. They were imparted training by the foundation with the help of chef Susanto Biswas. The cafe retained the name of its former owner to preserve its revered legacy. “We did not want to lose the heritage associated with this place. A significant section of Kolkata, and particularly the university community, has an emotional attachment to Rakhal Da’s Canteen. We wanted to retain that bond,” said Lipika Bhattacharya, co-founder of the foundation. She also said the cafe will be fully operational in the next 20 days. It is currently serves limited items like tea, coffee, and toast. “As they become acquainted with the products and adapt to the working environment, we will introduce more dishes to the menu,” she added.The foundation’s founder-cum-president, Chaitali Gami, is herself a mother to a girl living with Down Syndrome. Instead of referring to people with disabilities as ‘specially-abled or differently-abled’, she advocates for empowering them with dignity.“The venture grew out of pandemic-era online training, in which Gami and others taught them several soft skills. This later led to Able Fable’s first kiosk at the Mental Health Foundation in Kolkata before the initiative reached CU. They also created an LLP (Limited Liability Partnership) to ensure gainful employment for these young adults with intellectual disabilities. “They will also receive their appointment letters to officiate their work here,” said Gami.Pritha Seth, a staff member at the cafe, said she had learnt to stitch bags at the foundation and has been part of the training for years. “I am very happy here,” she said. Vocational trainer Puja Banerjee noted that the process had been as much a learning experience for her as for these individuals. “Each person has their own way of learning, which has been extremely enlightening for me,” she said. “We may have taught them certain skills, but we have received so much from them in return,” she added.
