Even as women empowerment has become a reality all over the world, women from the old city of Hyderabad are also slowly but steadily becoming Atmanirbhar. A group of women has taken to cooking to earn a livelihood through Luqma (meaning a morsel of food in Urdu), an initiative by Safa Society.

Safa Society is known for the socio-economic empowerment of women in Telangana and believes in the concept of everyone owner and everyone employee. Luqma is a team of chefs who cook delicious dishes and offer door-to-door delivery. All the chefs, women who are economically or socially underprivileged, divorced or single women with no male support, have been groomed and trained by Safa Society.

Almost all the dishes are famous Hyderabadi dishes, and they are supplied in greater Hyderabad. Presently, around 15 women are working with Luqma, and many of them earn anything between Rs 5000 to Rs 12,000. The women have now become experts in making dishes such as chicken biryani, chicken cutlets, pooran polis, etc.

According to the vice president of Safa Society, Fareesa Khan, the whole idea of Luqma is to make women ‘Atmanirbhar’. Right now, Luqma can supply up to 1000 meals in a day. The group intends to increase the number of chefs when they start getting more orders. But that’s not all. Safa Society also aims to turn women into foodpreneurs and make them self-reliant.

Luqma also provides meals to patients in hospitals, and they even supplied food to those in isolation wards during the pandemic.