Sheroes Hangout does not list any prices on its menu.
You come in, have a seat, get some food, eat it, and afterward decide how much you valued it. Whatever you wish to pay is acceptable, but if you want to donate an extra amount, that option is available as well.
It is one choice, removing the prices, that defines Sheroes Hangout more than anything else. This is no cafe that seeks pity from its customers, but rather one that wants nothing more than your company and a good think over your tea.
Where It Began
Sheroes Hangout was founded in Agra in 2014 as a partnership between Alok Dixit and the Chhanv Foundation, a non-governmental organization whose work revolves around rehabilitating acid attack victims ever since it began its Stop Acid Attacks initiative in 2013. Chhanv Foundation was co-founded by a group of journalists and social activists, with Alok Dixit as the organization’s Counseling Director and Ashish Shukla as its Executive Director.
The concept of rehabilitation as espoused by this organization stretches beyond the norm. Its process begins with advocacy, followed by medical and legal assistance, education, and finally ends with employment. It is this last stage that constitutes Sheroes Hangout. According to the Chhanv Foundation, it is the only venture in India that provides direct employment opportunities to acid attack victims in all its three operational divisions.
Acid attacks are a serious problem in India. According to the records collected by the Chhanv Foundation over the period of five years from 2014 to 2018, there have been more than 1,180 incidents in which a woman was attacked with acid in India. The acid used to carry out such attacks in India is caustic and relatively easy to obtain. It disfigures the victim but does not aim to kill her.
Sheroes Hangout was built as an answer to that exclusion.
What the Name Means
It was no coincidence. The Chhanv Foundation created this name intentionally: SHE + HEROES + HANGOUT. And the women who work at this place have come to be known as Sheroes, not because they were survivors of a terrible fate, but because they chose their path.
Here is how the Foundation explains its vision for the place, on its official website: the Sheroes Hangout will help women “come out of fear and challenges, and represent themselves as SHEROES.” This is important because this is what sets the tone for everything else in this cafe, from its design to the interactions between employees and customers to the wall displays.
What You Will Find Inside
Sheroes Hangout does not have to be a luxurious experience; it is warm, vibrant, and decidedly communal. The walls feature paintings created by the women themselves, who also share stories of their lives in writing. Community-based fundraising initiatives have set up a little library. Debates, author readings, music performances, social awareness sessions, and a community radio hub are held here.
The menu here is humble but plentiful. Biryani, paneer butter masala, dal fry, fresh snacks, sandwiches, and chai. Comforting Indian food that has been serving generations of Indians. It is always noted how delicious the paneer dishes are, and also the juices. However, when someone talks about the experience at Sheroes Hangout, food isn’t usually the first thing to come up. The first thing is the ambiance.
Three Cities, One Mission
Starting from Agra, it has opened branches in Lucknow and Noida, with the one at Noida International Stadium opening in 2022. Around 30 women work in each branch. They are all survivors who operate and work there.
Since the coronavirus pandemic forced them to stop their activities at their workplaces, the women seized the opportunity to gain new skills. These skills include computer proficiency, writing, stitching, conversational English, and even coding. “There is no semblance of victimhood in them,” Alok Dixit wrote in his founder’s message during that period. “They are the ones who have risen from the ashes.”
Why People Travel for It
Sheroes Hangout is located only a few kilometers from the Taj Mahal, the second-most-visited monument in the world. Visitors take the trouble to come here. Tourists include it in their itinerary plans. Individual tourists just stop here and chill, talk to the people working there, and read the stories on the wall.
What they will see is no pity, nor is it acting. This is a cafe run by women who choose to be here despite some tragedy, to learn something new, and to serve you a cup of chai with great sincerity.
You pay for the food at your own discretion. Most of the time, when they leave, they believe that the price in their minds was too low.
