The giver of food and nourishment
“We don’t think of the kitchen as a lesser place and kitchen work as lesser.”
Women workers fought for workers’ rights, but no one addressed the injustice done to them as women workers.
Parobai
“We know how to use the rolling pin in more ways than one. So watch out!”
Annapurna / Goddess of Food
The story of Mumbai’s first women’s credit co-operative, built by a union of food ladies
Documentary | 25 min | Hindi & Marathi with English subtitles | India | 1995
Set in the lanes and by lanes of central Bombay’s mill area, the filmis a portrait of a women’s co-operative named Annapurna.
Started in 1975 by 14 khanawalwalis – women who prepared meals for migrant workers, thus earning the name food-lady – the organization has today swelled to a membership of 150,000 and has it’s own credit co-operative bank, short-stay home and catering centre.
The film observes the everyday life of these women and intertwines it with the story of how the organization grew. An exploration of the politics and economics of women’s work, the film is a tribute to the fearless women who started Annapurna, and the feisty women who carry it on.
Annapurna is part of an international series on women’s initiatives entitled Half the Sky: Women of the World. It was made for the Beijing conference, in 1995. It has also been telecast in 11 countries worldwide.
Festivals
- Films de Femmes at Creteil, 1996
- The Mumbai International Film Festival, 1996
- Strivividha, 2000
BUY ANNAPURNA / GODDESS OF FOOD – INTERNATIONAL
Producer
Yellow Line Television and TVI, India
T Jayashree
Director
Paromita Vohra
Camera
Manoj Nair & Arun Varma
Editing
Pankaj Rishi Kumar
Sound
Resul Pookutty & Mohan Dass
Category
Films