Meet a blind man who heads a booming business, provides living for others

For years now 42yearold Bhavesh Bhatia has been crafting beautiful candles in myriad shapes sizes and hues What makes Bhatiarsquos story poignant is the fact that his eyes are unable to perceive the light they bring into this world each time one of his candles are lit up ndash Bhatia is visually impaired having lost his eyesight to retina macular degeneration in his early 20s And yet the gifted man is today at the helm of a thriving candlemaking business with a team of 85 totally or partially blind people working with him to mould thousands of aromatic candles every day Waxing eloquent Bhatia at his workshopu00a0in Mahabaleshwar PicPradeep Dhivar When he first started out Bhatia eked out a living as a street hawker selling plain white candles outside Holy Cross Church in Mahabaleshwar Today he has a workshop of his own in the village of Moreshwar which has generated jobs for many of his lsquoblind friendsrsquo as he lovingly refers to themu00a0gtDemonstrating his skills to MiD DAY he moulds wax effortlessly as he recounts his eventful journey ldquoI did a course in candlemaking at the department for rehabilitation in the National Association of Blind NAB in 1999 Here I picked up other skills like acupressure and body massage as well However my inclination towards art and my creativity motivated me to start my own candlemaking business I started on a very small scale selling a handful of candles on a cart outside Holy Cross Church in Mahabaleshwarrdquou00a0 Role model u00a0Bhatia seen in his workshop in Moreshwar which is lined with an array of creative wax art including busts of Osho and Mahatma Gandhi PicsPradeep Dhivar Bhatia suffered from night blindness as a child Soon after completing his graduation in Arts he was plunged into complete darkness but didnrsquot allow the impairment to come in the way of professional success Tough task Candlemaking however was not Bhatiarsquos first choice of career After graduating he started working as a telephone operator at a hotel in the city After spending a decade in service his eyesight started deteriorating and the management was not too keen on having him continue ldquoMy mother was battling fourth stage cancer and there was barely any income as my father worked as a caretaker at a guesthouse in the same city I did not want to sit at home like a piece of furniture and decided to enter some training in order to get workrdquo recalls Bhatia Once he completed his training Bhatia started working at one of the hotels in Mahabaleshwar as a masseur He wanted to take up candlemaking and explore his creative side but knew that the business would require investment as casting dyes are costly ldquoI collected the money I made working as a masseur and started making candles It was also a risk to buy 20 kg of wax as there was the fear that the candles would not sell We are fortunate that these days even 20 tonnes of wax is often not enoughrdquo he said In 2003 a social club in the city invited him to set up a stall at an exhibition There has been no looking back since then Today he has his own registered company called Sunrise Candles They come in all shapes and sizes from 5 gm to 10 feet Top corporate companies in the country are his clients In fact he says that 50 per cent of his business comes from corporate giants for whom he prepares aromatic candles in specific designs He said that he owes a debt of gratitude to Dhinubhai Gandhi from NABH who played a vital role in encouraging Bhatia start taking corporate orders Besides preparing Diwali gifts for corporates he also has continued with his stall in the city which his other blind friends manage A lot of hotels in Mahabaleshwar have given him space where his associates sell candles to tourists Meet some of Bhatiarsquos lsquoblind friendsrsquo There is an aura of positivity in the workshop where workers listen to soothing music as they craft Kanchan Pawar 33 moulds candles and also mans the stall outside the church in Mahabaleshwar Pawar lost her eyesight at the tender age of five after a bout of high fever ldquoSince I live far from the workshop I stay over often We work in two shifts when there is a major orderrdquo says Pawar Those who drop the candle makers to the workshop are also given odd jobs ldquoThis way people volunteer to accompany our blind friends in hope of earning some money in the processrdquo said Bhatiau00a0Sanjay Prakash a student in Std X turned partially blind when a stone was flung at him in Std V ldquoHe has found a new purpose in life to brighten peoplersquos livesrdquo says Bhatia Wax world Bhatiarsquos workshop in Moreshwar is a treasure trove for lovers of wax art Candles are displayed in every corner aromatic candles candles in bottles candles in the shapes of fruit food and flowers therersquos something for everyone Floating and gel candles are also an integral part of his collection The eyecatchers are of course a 46kg wax idol of Shivaji and a wax bust of Mahatma Gandhi ldquoSome day I hope to have a fullfledged wax museum which would encourage much more tourists to visit the cityrdquo said Bhatia Meeting point Candlemaking has not just brought Bhatia professional success Almost 20 years ago a tourist stopped by his cart to buy candles Mesmerised by his dedication and skill she kept coming back to meet him ldquoOne day she asked me whether I would marry her I was left with no words I wondered why a normal girl would want to marry someone who cannot see Even she did not have a suitable replyrdquo recalled Bhatia Today Neeta 40 Bhatiarsquos better half is actively involved in his business ldquoWhen I met Bhavesh for the first time his determination to do something with his life impressed me I am happy managing the business I do not do things for him out of sympathy Whenever he or his sightless friends are stuck anywhere I guide them on how to go furtherrdquo she saidu00a0 85u00a0The number of totally or partially blind people working on his team 12Ku00a0The cost of each dye indispensable in candlemaking 5Ku00a0The number of lsquoblind friendsrsquo in Satara 20 tonnes Average requirement of wax to complete a big order 9 hours The time spent on a single 4inch long candle