Organic Bazaar with a ‘special’ touch

Read full article By Madhuri Dasagrandhi @ Telangana Today  Photo Credit: Swachh Organic Bazar

The uniqueness of Swachh Organic Bazaar located in Banjara Hills lies not in its organic vegetables and ready-to-eat stuff, but in the fact that it is run by three specially-abled young adults.

Hyderabad: It’s a grocery truck outlet with a difference. The uniqueness of Swachh Organic Bazaar located in Banjara Hills lies not in its organic vegetables and ready-to-eat stuff, but in the fact that it is run by three specially-abled young adults.

Despite being slow-learners, Shiv Bajaj, Shailaja and Parikshit have complete control in the operations of the outlet.

Swachh Organic Bazaar supplies fresh fruits, vegetables, cold-pressed oils, organic pulses, rice, breads and pizza bases made with millets, cakes, pickles, murukkus, millet noodles, apart from ready-to-eat baked items and vegan products, including soaps. All these are procured from organic vendors and the trio is aware of each and every product.

The grocery truck was conceived when Shiv completed his 12th in special homeschooling and his mother, Suparna Bajaj, instead of enrolling him into an academic degree programme, thought of him having an experiential learning opportunity. After considerable brainstorming, the outlet took shape in 2017.

“Every morning, they coordinate with Pooja Raina who is a coordinator/mentor for Swacch homeschooling and she explains them about the products, what is set for that particular week and guides them on what to do,” says Suparna.

According to Pooja, the trio currently manages vendors. “Earlier, they were handling packing, baking, delivering and all the other tasks associated with the truck but due to Covid-19, we have restricted them only to online tasks,” says Pooja.

The pandemic had hit most businesses. Swachh Organic Bazaar too was affected. The three youngsters, however, utilised this opportunity and upgraded themselves to online works.

Every Monday, orders from customers are placed through WhatsApp and Shailaja and Shiv note them on separate sheets of paper. The list is then sent to farmers who, in turn, deliver the products by Wednesday. And every Thursday, the sales for the week commence with the products neatly packed and given to the delivery boys for handing over to customers.

Pooja says orders can be placed on 6303647478. They deliver products in Banjara Hills, Madhapur, Hitec City, Himayathnagar and Secunderabad. “Soon Swachh Organic Bazaar will be introducing Hydroponic farming greens,” she adds.