10th March, 2024 saw us at HCI celebrating Women’s Day in a unique way. Dr. Sonam Kapse, a changemaker and an inspiring woman graced our session with her presence and her pathbreaking work.
Dr Sonam Kapse specializes in Molecular Diagnostics from Tata Hospital Mumbai. She is the founder of India Millets Co which focuses on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and promotes disease-free eating and holistic social dining concepts.
She has also founded Terrasinne Food Corp LLP, the first Restaurant to gain global recognition, run entirely by PwDs. She has trained and employed people with down syndrome, hearing impaired, visually impaired, autistic, locomotor disability, cerebral palsy, and developmental and learning disabilities.
She has developed unique training programs for multiple disabilities following a scientific approach based on behavioural analysis, physical traits and emotional intelligence.
Empowering the marginalised
A scientific approach towards disabled and marginalized sections to empower them for generating a stable lively hood is the key driving motto of Terrasinne restaurant run by Dr Sonam Kapse. She is a living example of “just giving free GYAN is not enough to bring an impact -execution matters!” Celebrating women’s day could not be more meaning full with her being a special guest on Hugging Club of India, a socio-cultural platform which openly talks about mental health challenges.
A society is a combination of good, bad, variety of people and personalities. Working them out in the right mix, with the right proportions will create a healthy salad which Dr Sonam is already serving at her restaurant. This enterprise offers employment for differently able people to show that harmony is achieved by coexisting as equals. It is a well designed scientific model of holistic social dining and “wellness” providing the social, financial, and emotional support. What better could be than this – implementing diversity, equity and inclusion, rather than colorful poster mails by HR team right?
Dr. Sonam also serves as a cancer genetic specialist from Tata hospitals Mumbai, showing us that disability is not in the genes. It’s the inability of our mind to perceive the reality and her restaurant Terrasinne has proved it. Once an employee from her restaurant who suffered from epilepsy collapsed because of seizure and startled the crowd. The situation was positively handled by the colleagues with Down’s syndrome and addressed the customer crowd about the awareness and normalizing the disability and helping him to restart the work again. This was an example how her scientific model operates for a promising society.
The many addictions of a modern society
Mind is an extended organ of our body often prone to diseases or disorders similar to other parts of the physical body, and underrated one as well. The basic innate human nature is to ‘respond to the stimuli’ by talking out or sharing our mental health concerns. “This is the best psychological way of surviving the disorder and gives the definition of socio cultural bonding” says Dr Sonam.
Addiction is one of the disorder she emphasizes on. Usually the word addiction is associated with smoking, alcohol and psychotic drugs, forgetting that it has already mutated like covid virus in the form of social media, caffeine, binge eating and many more. The best way to combat is to go back to your roots of strengthening the human bonds normalizing it for seeking help. She herself approached for medical assistance in recouping addiction for caffeine and postpartum depression proving even doctors need professional support.
A reassuring Q & A Session
Our world operates on the principle ‘time is of the essence’ which is a biggest misconception, a positive change takes its own sweet time. I didn’t become an activist or voice of the marginalized overnight. One should be patient enough to self accept, learn, evolve and implement. This is mantra behind of true happiness she quoted. Q and A sessions with her were indeed found to be reassuring and realistic.
“The person who takes abuses and doesn’t fight back is equally held responsible as the abuser” it’s time for you to reach out and help others to build a family which is not only defined by blood” was the inspiring solution given to Kavitha (Name changed) and like other women facing the domestic and physical abuse by her family. Kavitha also reached out Hugging Club of India for professional assistance and received helping hands, showing a positive change in her life and confidently handling her problems.
Dr Sonam explained that the role of physical activity or exercises is the best way to fight back anxiety and depression and it was is the key take away to youngsters like Mr Manu (Name changed) who is battling in his daily life. So is accepting a negative comment and reverting back with positive attitude, which makes life sweeter with a pinch of salty comments thrown at us, she answered Mr Manoj (Name changed) a business man from Mumbai. A combo of good food, sleep and physical activity is the best prescription she gives for a worthy life and it is right time to execute this.
Thus ended a session that was truly remarkable and inspiring, challenging us to change our beliefs and look at the disabled section of society in a new way with open eyes and a broad mindset.
– Written by Tejas Pushpa
– Edited by Mahrukh