Dhruv Lakra: Voice-free delivery By Sharmeen Hakim IndorewalaSharmeen Hakim Indorewala, Mumbai Mirror | Jun 18, 2013, 10.15 PM
Meeting a deaf boy struggling to navigate the city on a BEST bus made Dhruv Lakra decide he'd launch a business model that employed the deafRELATED. Dhruv Lakra's courier firm delivers 25,000 packages every month by a deaf-only staff. You don't except pin drop silence at a courier office during peak business hours. But at Mirakle Couriers' Churchgate headquarters, the only dominating sound is that of a whirring air-conditioner. Without exchanging a single word, its 49 staffers, all deaf, successfully deliver 25,000 packages a month within the city. Dhruv Lakra, its 32-year-old founder, who holds a degree in social entrepreneurship from SAID Business School, University of Oxford, stresses the difference between the deaf community and the hearing impaired. While the latter carry a hope of medical correction, the deaf have no choice but to resign to a life of silence. And yet, he doesn't approve of the term 'disabled' for his colleagues. "They are just differently abled," he says. "They are great with operational work, good with directions and incredibly honest - apt for the work they currently do." After a job with financial management and advisory firm Merrill Lynch and a volunteering stint with Mumbai-based NGO DASRA, Lakra decided he'd use the best lessons from both experiences to launch a socially-conscious business idea. Mirakle Couriers was born in 2009 with just two delivery boys. It now operates out of two branches (the other is at Bandra). Remembering the incident that spun his life around, Lakra says, "I was sitting in a BEST bus beside a boy who was looking restlessly out of the window. He was lost although the conductor was regularly announcing the next stop. I tried asking him what was wrong, but he didn't respond. That's when it struck me that he was deaf. I helped him through handwritten notes, but I had come face-to-face with their everyday struggle." Lakra decided he'd come up with an entrepreneurship plan that would empower others like the boy. And he sure has. Amarjeet Mistry, a confident middle-aged staffer communicates animatedly through sign language while Lakra interprets what he is saying: "I was a carpenter and it was tough to make ends meet. How was I to fend for my family? Things changed after landing this job. My daughter can speak English, you know!" While Mistry and his male colleagues manage delivery, the women, including Lata Upadhyay (name changed), operate the back office. Upadhyay's parents were unwilling to let her work late hours. When Lakra learnt of this, he changed their schedule. "We come in early and are back home before sunset," she says. "I didn't want mere labourers. The idea is to get women with a difficult past to enjoy their work. They are my responsibility, so assigning them comfortable working hours keeps me at peace too," says Lakra, who learnt sign language as part of his field research. In the absence of the spoken word, text messages have proved to be Mirakle's lifeline. It's through SMSes that the staff effectively communicates and tracks deliveries. Their professional track record has helped bring in prestigious clients like Mahindra & Mahindra, Godrej & Boyce, the Aditya Birla Group and Under The Mango Tree. One staffer opens his eyes wide, and flays his arms to symbolise the fancy tall buildings they deliver packages to. It's evident that Lakra's idea is a hope for the community when he tells you he receives calls from eager parents looking for a suitable boy for their deaf daughters. "It takes a while for me to explain that we are only Mirakle Couriers, not Mirakle matchmakers," Lakra smiles. INITIATIVE Mirakle Courier Face behind it Dhruv Lakra, 32 Nominated for Developing a business model that provides employment to the deaf Mumbai Heroes Part of Mumbai Mirror's 8th anniversary celebrations, the Heroes campaign looks beyond everyday do-gooders and simple acts of kindness. This initiative will honour people or institutions that have decisively - and positively - changed Mumbai for the better. If you know a hero, tell us about them @ mumbaimirror.com/form.cms . Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of mobile phones / Tabs on: http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessindia.org.in Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list..
