Thrissur resident Geetha Saleesh was born in a colourful world but lost her eyesight completely when she was in class 10 due to retinitis pigmentosa, a rare genetic disorder. 

How she went from accepting her new reality at 15 to running a successful online Food venture at 39 is a story of hope, perseverance and determination.

Despite the blindness, Geetha was keen on getting educated, so she learnt braille and completed her graduation. Eventually, she married Saleesh Kumar, and the couple ran a small Organic restaurant in the city.

“We used to serve food and drinks made using organic ingredients including vegetables. Unfortunately, we had to shut it down when we lost the rented space,” says Geetha, who then took a break to look after her kids.

Later, when she decided to resume working and applied for jobs, she was rejected due to her disability. That’s when her husband encouraged her to start her own business.

“Finally, during the lockdown period, I felt ‘Why not start an online business?’ Also, with my prior experience in cooking, I was confident enough to start a food business,” shares Geetha.

She launched ‘Geetha’s Home to Home’ along with her husband in 2020. The brand offers products like homemade ghee and pickles. Their bestseller is a superfood supplement called ‘Curcu Meal’.

“We developed Curcu meal — a paste-like blend of turmeric, dates, almond, coconut milk and jaggery — after researching it for three years. We use a variety of turmeric named Prathibha which has the highest curcumin content. The Curcu meal can be consumed raw or by mixing in hot milk…It’s good for everyone from children to adults…it’s healthy and has no side effects,” she explains.

Each 500-gram bottle is priced at Rs 600 and its consumers are spread across the country. “We have been getting orders even from Kashmir,” she adds.

Today, Geetha earns around Rs 50,000 per month through these products that are sold through their website and social media platforms. “We don’t have a lot of products currently, but whatever we offer is made with good quality, organic ingredients,” she notes.

Watch this video for a peek into her journey:

Edited by Divya Sethu