Women’s Day Special: Tiffin Wali Aunty, A Women Who Became Annapurna For Hostelites

Mark Twain once said, “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it does not matter.”

We often believe that a person’s age defines what they should be. This not only restricts a person’s creativity but also their confidence.

But some people do not let all these talks define them.

One of them is Meena Manik Sontake, who started making and selling tiffins at the age of 55.

Meena, who was originally from Junnar came to Pune after her marriage. She could not complete her studies which forced her to be a homemaker.

Meena says, “I wanted to learn and study more. But I was married at a young age. After marriage, I couldn’t complete my studies while taking care of my home. So I had to give up on that dream.”

In June 2018, Meena’s family was going through some financial issues, which led her to start making tiffins for a living.

Meena said, “When my family was going through a financial crisis, I wanted to be of some help. I did not want to sit still. So a thought crossed my mind, why not do something which I am already good at? I talked with a nearby hostel owner and told him that I will make and sell tiffins for the hostelites.”

“I started with one tiffin. I used to sell the tiffin for forty rupees which included four rotis, two sabzis, rice and daal,” says Meena.

Selling a few tiffins at such a low price when the price of vegetables was at its peak was hard for Meena, but she did not let those factors discourage her. But soon, lockdown due to Covid-19 was imposed and her small business came to a halt.

Meena lost her husband in December 2020. Her world was shattered, but she picked herself up.

“I lost my husband and I thought what will I do now? But I knew that my family needed me the most, so I had to be strong for them,” says Meena.

During the lockdown, Meena was not able to sell many tiffins. It was a huge loss for her as the tiffins were with the students who moved from Pune to their hometowns.

Meena says, “I was afraid that I might lose those tiffins. This may sound silly that I was worried about empty tiffins but those were the only things that helped me and my family to sustain ourselves. But some students paid for those tiffins when they reached home.”

Meena makes the tiffins with her Daughter-In-Law, Sangeeta Vishal Sontake. They divide the work among themselves and they ensure that no food goes to waste during the process.

Meena says, “I was often told by people that I should act my age and that I should just rest on my bed. But I never listened to them because I know that if I hadn’t decided to start making tiffins at that time, then my family wouldn’t have survived.”

“Now that I look back, I realize that all this was done just by two women and it was all our efforts which made us independent and strong. If I can do it then certainly anyone can and I am sure that if one is determined then no one can stop them,” says Meena.

Manisha Swain