In pics: Visually-impaired women in Mumbai light up homes this Diwali

Fifteen visually-impaired women have been quietly working in a small workshop in south Mumbai’s Reay Road to light up homes this Diwali

Fifteen visually-impaired women have been quietly working in a small workshop in Mumbai’s Reay Road to light up homes this Diwali.

15 women between 18 and 50 have been painting and decorating diyas at a small Reay Road workshop. (Kunal Patil/HT)

The National Association for the Blind, the NGO that works with the women, buys diyas from Dharavi potter Babu Lala Gohil . (Kunal Patil/HT)

The National Association for the Blind (NAB), an NGO that works with them, buys plain, earthen diyas — or hand-made lamps — from a potter in Dharavi.

Vanita Ubhare,42, only has partial sight. Ubhare paints a diya at the workshop ahead of Diwali. (Kunal Patil/HT)

The women paint, decorate and package the diyas, which are then sold to corporate houses such as Air India, ahead of the festival of lights.

“For our work, we each get between Rs8,000 and Rs14,000 a month,” said one of them.

WATCH: Lighting up homes

A woman arranges cartons to pack the diyas she has painted. The NGO helps women between 18 and 50 make a living. (Hindustan Times)

The Women from the NGO also make rakhis for the Indian Army and accept orders for weddings.

Rajani Dalvi is sightless, but says she loves spending time at the workshop. (Kunal Patil/HT)

Started in 1992, NAB has been creating jobs for women who struggle to find employment because of their disability. The NGO approaches families of visually-impaired girls, invites them to attend workshop and even trains some of them to paint and package the diyas. The NGO also helps girls set up their own stalls.

Femida Shaikh, 20, learns how to pack a consignment of lamps at the workshop. (Kunal Patil/HT)