Just 600 meters away from Deshabhimani junction at Kaloor in Ernakulam is Suma Manzil, a house that has a peculiar touch of verdant green. Enter the house, one cannot help but notice the hundreds of indoor plants beautifully laid out inside each square inch of the house.
Standing on 10 cents of land, the house is not just a garden, it’s a social entrepreneurship venture of the 53-year-old Kochi native, Suma Sooraj, started with the aim of helping people who suffer various diseases.
Five months ago, Suma started Zumo Indoor Creations. She sells indoor plants, uses the money to support people who cannot bear the entire cost of medical treatment.
The inspiration
Speaking to TNM, Suma recalls her inspiration behind the social venture.
“My father was a dementia patient for the past one and half years. He passed away last September. My mother had also passed away a few months before that due to stroke. The most difficult years in my life were the time when my father was down with dementia. Though we could afford treatments and provide other support for him, it was a tough period. It made me think about others who cannot even afford daily medicines and are fighting against all odds,” says Suma.
After witnessing the suffering and death of her father, Suma felt the urge to do something to help people with various ailments.
Suffering from respiratory problems, Suma decided to first start helping others by increasing the green cover and thus reduce pollution in the city.
“Pollution in the city was one thing I was always concerned about. When Kochi Metro construction kicked off in the city, many residents, including me, were having respiratory problems. And so, after my parents’ death, I set up a mini garden in their house,” she said.
To ensure that only quality products are used, Suma handpicks indoor plants, especially those that absorb pollutants, from across Kerala. The plants are potted in reusable waste products like beer bottles and imported ceramic vessels.
Apart from pinning the location of the store on Google, her initiative gained prominence by word of mouth.
Helping those with ailments
Five months since she started the venture, Suma has already helped a dozen people who are suffering from various diseases using the money she made from selling her plants. She has even found a way to identify the deserving people.
“I go to medical shops across the city and enquire about patients who regularly visit the store and have difficulty paying their bills. Most of these pharmacies know such patients in their neighbourhood and will offer to provide information,” says Suma.
“Though my focus initially was to help just patients who could not afford to buy medicines, I was able to help a few school students who hail from low-income households with their education expenses,” she said with a smile.
“This is just the beginning,” says Suma, who is considering to increase her indoor plant collections and to bring smiles to more faces.