Mirakle Courier Company

Mirakle Couriers - Courier Service Using Hearing
Impaired People (http://indianwebstartups.com/StartupDetails.aspx?

startupId=472)
Mirakle Couriers is a Mumbai based courier company that employs hearing impaired people for their
operations.
According to survey reports, India has highest deaf populations in the world with approximately 6% of the
population suffering some kind of hearing loss. The biggest problem is since deafness is an invisible
disability; it never gets the society’s attention.
To resolve this issue, there is a definite need of organizations where the social element is embedded in the
commercial operations.
According to the company personals, they employ underprivileged deaf boys for pick-ups and drops and the
sorting operation is done by deaf girls.
Their list of clients includes Mahindra & Mahindra, Aditya Birla Group, Victory Art Foundation, JSW Group,
Indian Hotels Company, Godrej & Boyce and Essel Propack.
This service is conceptualized by Dhruv Lakra (CEO) with a vision of creating an environment that allows
deaf adults to utilize their full potential and become economically independent. Dhruv who began his career
in investment banking with Merrill Lynch holds a Bachelor in commerce and a post-graduate diploma in
Social Enterprise Management.
Unique Features and Our Reviews
Involving physically disabled people in commercial activities is definitely a great initiative. Mirakle Couriers is
certainly doing a great work by employing hearing impaired people for their operations.
The names of corporate brands in their client list shows that even big companies are interested to promote
these types of socio-commercial organizations.
As the young brigade of India is getting motivated towards social entrepreneurship, we hope to see more of
these types of start-ups in near future.
The Mirakle in Mumbai: Life inside a social business

(http://www.cnngo.com/mumbai/none/mumbai-diary-life-inside-social-business-081373)
Rohan Mehta provides an insight into his work at Mirakle Couriers, a profit-making company employing deaf
adults to deliver mail in the city
18 February, 2010
Dhruv Lakra at Mirakle Couriers Churchgate office, their hub for South Bombay, while the other is in
Andheri, a hub for the northern suburbs.
We liked Rohan Mehta's diary-style insight into the newest form of world famous Indian entrepreneurship: a
'social business,' in this case a courier company founded by an ex-Merrill Lynch banker, employing deaf
people to deliver corporate mail.
--------
"I just got back from work.
To do that I took a train from Churchgate and an auto rickshaw from the station to Khar (W).
I’m so Bombay now.
As you might have heard, the trains are absolute madness. I am grateful for my eager teen concert going
days where I learnt the important life skill of navigating through a sea of stubborn bodies to get closer to a
stage. This is exactly how you get off trains here. Throw your body weight into the crowd and squeeze
through tiny gaps of passengers who stand their ground firmly. Then you have to deal with the strong current
of people coming on to the train. None of this British "after you sir" attitude. It’s quite a fulfilling feeling once
you get off though.
In the morning I usually go to the Churchgate office.
I get there around 10:00 and see everyone's smiling faces. They say good morning to me (a hand gesture
that reassembles something like a flower opening up followed by a thumbs up.)
I am currently working for a company called Mirakle Couriers. A For-Profit social business enterprise that
employs low income deaf adults to collect, sort and deliver corporate mail. Some of the big business
industrial companies are our clients. We have also recently got more into delivering specialist magazine
publications to their subscribers.
We have 45 deaf employees (ages 20-30), 15 girls who handle back office data entry and 30 boys who run
deliveries in a designated areas.
We are not a charity and not an NGO but a profit-generating business. We don’t help the deaf community.
We merely help them help themselves by employing them where others do not. All over India the deaf
community faces harsh conditions, their inability for aural communication also means they don’t get heard or
lobbied, their oppressions are literally unvoiced.
Dhruv Lakra, founder and CEO of Mirakle Couriers, calls it the silent disability.
So here we are giving them self worth, opening bank accounts, giving them pan numbers, making them pay
taxes, giving them insurance.
Plugging them into the market…
Plugging them into them into the Matrix.
That's what we do.
Day to day I’m busy with various different activities: creating invoices, emailing clients, updating the
company blog and websites, and other marketing activities.
Often Dhruv meets clients in the mornings and so is not always in the office when we get there but he
comes an hour or so later. But he enters like a FireCraCKER.
"BAM BAM BAM OK I WANT THIS THIS AND THIS DONE, OK WHERE IS THIS, OK LAST NIGHT I
THOUGHT ABOUT THIS, OK WHERE IS MY TEA AND NIMBU PANI, WHERE DID YOU GO OUT LAST
NIGHT? OK HOW MANY SHIPMENTS HAVE GONE OUT, LLEEETTSS GOOOO!!"
With this, an amazing wave of energy sweeps into the room and brings life into a usually quiet office.
The other fun things working at Mirakle Couriers is the silence even when there is a lot of commotion. Dhruv
gives some big pep talks from time to time to push them to deliver more. Power deliveries, and they all get
very excited. You see this on their faces even if you don’t hear voices cheer you know that is the same
emotion they are feeling. It's wonderful to be around.
Leaving the office is another bizarre experience. Suddenly the sounds and noise of Bombay attacks you. All
day you have been hearing quiet shuffling of papers and a few claps and hand movements and suddenly
you are overwhelmed by obnoxious honks and wild conversations.
Then for the next hour or two I forget that everyone isn’t deaf and that they won’t understand my mal-formed
signs to get their attention or ask them questions. It’s pretty funny.
Dhruv apparently dreams in sign. I can believe it."
For the entire diary entry go to Heliopathic Creations.
Read more: The Mirakle in Mumbai: Life inside a social business | CNNGo.com
http://www.cnngo.com/mumbai/none/mumbai-diary-life-inside-social-business-081373#ixzz0vXyN0qaU
The Bold Idea:
(http://www.echoinggreen.org/fellows/dhruv-lakra)
The Bold Idea: Create meaningful and sustainable employment opportunities for low-income deaf adults in
India, thereby increasing their standard of living and making them economically independent.
It is estimated that 6 percent of India’s population suffers from some kind of hearing loss, 32 percent of deaf
citizens suffer from profound deafness and 39 percent suffer from severe hearing disability resulting in one
of the largest deaf populations globally. A staggering 66 percent of the Indian deaf population is
unemployed. Coupled with their disability, skewed education and low-income status has resulted in a deaf
youth population that is not part of a productive labor force but suffers from seclusion and constant
discrimination.
Mirakle Couriers is a full-service courier company that offers delivery and tracking services to clients in
Mumbai. All delivery and back office functions will be performed by deaf employees. In addition to providing
job training, Mirakle Couriers provides life skills training for their employees including personal financial
management.
Mirakle Couriers will take the lead in employing deaf adults and aims to employ roughly 1 to 2 percent of
deaf/hearing impaired adults in every major capital of the Indian states. Mirakle Couriers seeks to become
the number one employer for low income deaf adults, generating employment for over 10,000 members of
India’s deaf community.
Dhruv Lakra
< PREV NEXT >
2009
Dhruv Lakra
Mirakle Couriers
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Community Improvement & Economic Development
Biography:
Dhruv Lakra has a strong background in the social and finance space. He started his career in investment
banking and shifted to the social sector after the devastating Asian tsunami of 2004. His experience ranges
from helping social organizations scale programs, measuring their impact, strategic planning, developing
skill sets for the program staff, to designing information systems and advising high net worth individuals on
effective giving. He was named a Skoll Scholar in 2008 at the Said Business School, University of Oxford.
Moment of Obligation: What experiences led to the desire to start your own organization?
Two instances stood out for me. The Asian tsunami of 2004 showed me how poor India is. It helped me to
see the 'real India'. Second, my father is a paraplegic. This was the initiator for me in the disability space.
India growth trajectory is neglecting this vast untapped community. We are talking about inclusive growth,
but somehow the differently able are not included in this growth. These experiences helped me to start
Mirakle Couriers.
Gall to Think Big: What has given you the ability to dream big and take on deeply entrenched social
and difficult problems? (Such as experiences, skills, events, etc.)
Having spent four months with the fishermen community during tsunami relief and rehabilitation, I realized
that for effective social change one needs to dream big. The problems that I was facing that time were so
trivial in comparison to the problems at hand which pushed me to realize that we need to do something. The
devastation caused by the tsunami left an indelible mark on me. Working for my passion and following my
heart are the most important things for me.
New and Untested: What's innovative about your new idea for social change?
Mirakle Couriers is an innovative courier service as it has been set up for the employment generation of low
income deaf adults. Other organizations working for the deaf have isolated this population by developing
vocations that do not do justice to their abilities. These organizations also have done a poor job in spreading
the use of sign language and have not sensitized the society about their culture. Deaf adults do not study
after tenth grade and have been taught very basic English. Lack of English and computer skills today puts
one in a very precarious situation hence the irregular employment avenues such as tailoring have been
developed. Our approach is innovative as it engages the deaf adult population in a manner which uses their
existing skill sets and gives them a white collar job. As they have basic training in English, we have
incorporated the use of vernacular languages to assist them in pick up and delivery. For example, text
messaging and writing of landmarks for finding addresses will be in a vernacular language like Marathi.
Constant traveling and interaction with a wide range of people will improve their confidence and will have a
domino affect on awareness about deafness in the society.
Seeing Possibilities: What are the most important qualities to be a successful social entrepreneur?
I strongly believe the most important quality to be a successful social entrepreneur is never forgetting that a
cause is greater than everything. A social entrepreneur should be humble and an excellent listener.
Which musical artists/albums get you going and keep you inspired?
I have a very wide range of music tastes ranging from metal to trance and from fusion with Indian classical
instruments to rock and roll. Some of my favorite bands are The Doors, Tool, Karunesh, Pearl Jam, Pink
Floyd and Karsh Kale.

What books do you recommend (pleasure, work and anything in between)?
• Maximum City--Suketu Mehta
• Cave in the Snow--Tenzin Palmo
• Banker to the Poor--Muhammad Yunus
• The Last Lecture--Randy Pausch
• It’s Not About the Bike--Lance Armstrong
• The Kite Runner--Khaled Hosseini
• Complete Works of George Orwell
Which websites do you visit often (work and/or personal)?
• socialedge.org
• google.com
• twitter.com
• vccircle.com
• ndtv.com
• tehelka.com
• wikipedia.com
• techcrunch.com
• indiatogether.org
• ashoka.org
What advice or quote do you keep close to your heart as a social change leader?
The following have made an impact on me: “You don’t take a person who, for years, has been hobbled by
chains, bring him to the starting line in a race and say, ‘you are free to compete with all others’, and still
justly believe that you have been completely fair.” - US President Lyndon B Johnson. “Everything has its
wonders, even darkness and silence, and I learn, whatever state I may be in, therein to be content.” - Helen
Keller. “I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold,
service was joy.” - Rabindranath Tagore

Entries categorized as ‘Marketing’
Clients
(http://miraklecouriers.wordpress.com/category/marketing/)
January 29, 2010 · 5 Comments
On the blog we have recently been talking a lot about Mirakle’s deaf culture but we
should not forget that our main objective is running a business. Reflecting on our first full
year, we have seen an exponential growth in our capabilities as professional couriers.
Although we initially started slow, we have been picking up steam and increasing our
client base.
Here is an updated list of clients that Mirakle Couriers currently serves:
Aditya Birla Group
Essel Propack
Welspun
Bain Capital
JSW Steel
Esgee Technologies
Johnson Controls
Godrej & Boyce
Infomedia 18
Idea Cellular
Brioni
Microfinance Insights
Tehelka
__________________________________________________
As you can see we have been primarily focusing on Industrial Businesses and
Magazines Publications. We are also starting to branch out into telecoms and
some non-perishable foods. The first of which is an amazing company called
Under the Mango Tree. UTMT is a social enterprise, like us, that focuses on
sourcing organic and fairly traded food from rural farmers from the impoverished
regions of india. For them we have been delivering bottles of honey to their
customers.
Another one of our star clients is Godrej and Boyce. We love and respect them
because they share similar values as us when it comes to employing people with
disabilities. Godrej and Boyce won the 2008 Hellen Keller award for being the
best employers for giving equal opportunity to people with disabilities. Dhruv
won the award this year for being a role model supporter of the cause. A notable
big thank you to Mr. Tiwari from Godrej who has been extremely good to us and
developed the strong relationship with Mirakle Couriers.
While we have already established a good client base we are looking to tie up
with more companies and take on more demanding orders.
In the last few months we have experienced a significant increase in work

productivity. Our back office girls have become more efficient using our
computer systems and our delivery boys have mastered the complicated streets in
each of their designated pincodes. This means we can now handle much bigger
volumes. On a good day, a delivery boy can deliver between 50 and 100
shipments each and often we finish what we are given for a week in a matter of
days. Therefore in order to fullfil our potential we need to take on more clients
and increase our orders.
Now also with additional help from our new operations manager Sameer Bhosale,
we are planning to bring in more organizational changes and new systems that
will further enhance our capabilities.
It is a New Year and it is time to expand our vision for Mirakle.
Categories: Business · Marketing · News · Uncategorized

Tagged: Deaf, mirakle couriers, clients, courier business, aditya birla group, essel
propackk, welspun, esgee, godreg and boyce, johnson controls, JSW steel, Bain Capital,
Idea, Infomedia 18, Tehelka, microfinance insights, UTMT
Branding
October 17, 2009 · 5 Comments
Hi everyone,
Please accept my apologies for not writing and not being in touch. Things have been
crazy and that would be an understatement. We have grown tremendously over the past
six months and working through the challenges. This blog entry is about one of the key
challenges that we are facing – branding and perception. I strongly believe many
organizations working in the disability space are facing the same. What position to take?
Many people ask me “what is your marketing and brand strategy for Mirakle”. How are
you the positioning it. We are a very young social enterprise and though we are in the
process of developing one, I quickly wanted to discuss with our readers what we are
thinking about it in terms of the two very important but varied aspects.
Commercial – We at the end of the day are a social business, where the social mission is
embedded in the commercial operations. We cannot forget the fact that we are in the
express and courier delivery business. What does the client want – his/her shipment
should reach the destination within the stipulated period of time. Many of them don’t care
that we are employing people with disabilities and their business can help an isolated
population. I completely understand that (I also completely understand the social aspect
discussed below). We have to give importance to our delivery and service standards. I
can think of Fabindia which was set up to improve the income levels of artisans.
Nowhere in the store can you see that story. Their clothes are funky, hip, smart and have
a strong cool quotient. Some consumers know about it and some don’t. I am sure that
consumers who know about it are also not buying the products because of that very social
mission. At the end of the day its about pricing, quality of service, customer retention and
the product offering. We are very clear that for a while our business will take a lead as we
once this takes off then we can take care of our social mission.
Social – Now to the dark side of the moon. Why don’t we just do something or buy
something or use at the same quality level which at the same time helps somebody. Here
the problem of perception is the reason, especially in sectors like disability which has a
strong link with charity as people think that the differently able are inferior. Many times
when there is a genuine delay which is not our fault such as the trains are not working.
Some of our clients tell me “ koi baat nehi, yeh to disabled hai na to time to lagega he”.
This also leads into pricing, I strongly believe that we should get a premium for our
services. I know many people think that let the market decide. Free markets. Agree to that
but we cannot forget that our training costs are higher, and we have to work harder. I
would like this to happen but the opposite has happened. We get calls from people who
ask for unthinkable prices because the assumption is that the deaf are hired cheap.
If Mirakle is adding value to a company through diversity and vendor management, then
why cant corporations pay a premium for the services. We were featured in Outlook
Business for this – the piece is here http://business.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?260080.
Unfortunately, everything is looked from the price point of view. Ideally, we would like
to be a player that is high on service and quality but at the same time would like
consumers to understand that their shipment is giving a salary to someone who has very
little opportunities to work.
So this brings us back to the question- our branding and marketing strategy. Any thoughts
from our lovely readers.??
Dhruv
Categories: Branding · Business · Marketing

Tagged: Deaf, Mumbai, Social Impact, Training
T- shirts in the house

December 3, 2008 · 2 Comments
I am writing after a long time, apologies to my readers. Lately, things have been tense
here in Mumbai and I just did not feel like writing.
This post is about our t-shirts, and i am really happy the way they have been made. The
colour combination is slightly different than the logo that you see on the very first post.
The deaf boys will be wearing orange colour t-shirts with black collars and cuffs. A
couple of reasons for this – they should stand out, and should be smartly dressed. We will
also be giving them straps which they will wear around their necks with the name
Mirakle Couriers embroidered in it, and this will also have their ID cards which are the
most important thing for them. With so many security concerns these days, the first thing
they should show is their ID cards and the names on the t shirts. I will also give them
yellow caps, and then it will be awesome.
Attached is picture of the t shirts, let me know what you think. If you see the boys on the
road or anywhere, you should know that they are deaf. I will also be putting their profiles
up very soon. Spread the word, spread the message.
T - shirts (front)
T- Shirt (back)
rock out,
Dhruv
Categories: Branding · Marketing

Tagged: Deaf, Logo, Mumbai, Uniforms
Presentation time
November 20, 2008 · Leave a Comment

Time for some presentations, I am presenting the idea to some schools and to some
colleges to raise awareness about Mirakle Couriers. I want to see how people react to
this, and potentially understand what we can do for them. Ideally, if can tie-up with some
schools and other institutions for some business it will be great. A very good way to start
and to learn, and further refine the model.
Rock,
Dhruv
Mumbai Miracle
(http://business.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?260080)
This start-up is sowing the seeds of supplier diversity in the private sector.
NAREN KARUNAKARAN
PRINT SHARE COMMENTS
H is fluorescent orange uniform makes him stand out in the crowd as he strides
past Churchgate station. A bag slung across his shoulder, he’s oblivious to the
We have
maintained a
noise as he takes care to use the pavement. He loves this round, which takes him zero-defect
to the top companies in Nariman Point. But, he avoids using the shortcut through record. No
the Oval Maidan. Once, a long time ago, he was hit by a cricket ball while taking packet has
been
the shortcut.
delivered to a wrong
He did not hear the screams or warnings. For, you see, Vinod Jagtap is deaf. One address, so far.Dhruv
of the 34 employees of Mirakle Couriers, a firm entirely run and manned by the Lakra, Founder and CEO,
hearing-impaired. Mirakle Couriers
This courier company has caught the interest of several big Mumbai-based
businesses such as Mahindra and Mahindra, Godrej & Boyce and the Aditya Birla
Group. This band is proactively spreading the word about Mirakle Couriers. They urge city-based industrial houses to
support the fledgling enterprise. And they are going all out to help the company.
For instance, Mirakle has office space bang opposite Churchgate, in the heart of town, thanks to the Aditya Birla Group. It
would have cost Mirakle over Rs 50,000 a month to rent space (250 sq ft) in this part of the city. Now, it uses the office
free of cost.
“It’s critical for a courier company to have a central location,” says Subrato Sarkaar, Vice-President, Administration, Aditya
Birla Group. Before moving to Churchgate, the start-up had found a benefactor in Thermax, an environmental engineering
company. Thermax allowed Mirakle to function from its Colaba office for a while, on launching its operations in November
2008.
Supplier Diversity
Though all of Mirakle’s employees are deaf, Mirakle has an impeccable service record. “We have maintained a zero-
defect record. No packet has been delivered to a wrong address, so far,” says Dhruv Lakra, Founder and CEO, Mirakle
Couriers.
Lakra, after a short stint as an investment banker in Mumbai, decided his future was not cut out for high finance but in
pounding the streets as a social entrepreneur. An MBA from Oxford, as a Scholl scholar, prepared him for the role. On his
return from Oxford in October 2008, he chanced upon a conversation between a deaf commuter and a bus conductor.
The former’s gesticulations made little sense to either the conductor or Lakra, but the encounter remained etched on his
mind.
A quick bit of research revealed that the hearing impaired was the most ignored of all disabilities; the most under-funded
as well. Lakra decided to be an ambassador for them. “I entered the courier business as it is manpower-and-volume-
driven. It can provide employment to the maximum number of deaf,” he explains. Lakra started business with just about
£300 he had saved from his Oxford scholarship. He knew it would be a rough ride. But, he didn’t anticipate the tide of
support he would receive from corporates.
These companies were actually putting into practice the tenets of supplier diversity—a term they are not yet familiar with.
It is a mature practice in the US and Europe. Large corporations there seek out small vendors from the marginalised
sections of society, and through a process of handholding ensure their growth. For instance, Procter & Gamble in the US
buys goods and services worth $1.5 billion from minority- and women-owned businesses every year. The goal is to take
this to $2.5 billion by 2010.
Back home, all companies under the Aditya Birla Group spend about Rs 6 crore on courier services each year. Even a
small slice of this—intra-city deliveries to start with—means a lot for a social enterprise like Mirakle. This is beginning to
happen.
Green Shoots?
While Sarkaar is not certain about the concept or the import of supplier diversity, he is certain about Mirakle’s efficient
services. “Their systems are better than that of other professional courier services,” he says. The Central Mail Receiving
and Despatch (CMRD) unit at Godrej & Boyce, which enlisted Mirakle only last month, has a similar experience. Godrej,
after trying out 50 to 100 packets with Mirakle, wanted to load the courier with higher numbers when the company wanted
to dispatch fixed deposit certificates. Lakra, however, refused. He felt he was not yet ready for an immediate scale up.
“This only proves his commitment to creating a robust business,” says Nariman D Bacha, who presides over the CMRD at
Godrej & Boyce.
Mirakle, within eight months, has endeared itself to the clutch of companies that has dared to experiment with it. In the
process, they have unwittingly set in motion the concept of supplier diversity in the private sector. JJ Irani, Chairman of
the CII Council on Affirmative Action, has already sowed the seeds of supplier diversity within the Tata Group companies.
“What we need is soft support from corporates,” says Lakra. He expects no other concession from clients. He competes
with mainline courier firms on price, and doesn’t expect business to come as charity. “When the attitude of charity comes
in, mediocrity also seeps in,” he says. So far, Mirakle has delivered over 10,000 packets. “We have grown from two to 34
employees, without parallel growth in revenue generation,” he says. He endeavours to set up a training system for his
team, all in sign language.
Lakra has no time to waste. Idea Cellular has asked him whether he can deliver bills to its customers across Mumbai—the
numbers are in tens of thousands. And Lakra’s employees, like Jagtap from Chembur, are rising to the occasion.
Jagtap is also one of Mirakle’s star performers. As a window cleaner, he earned a pittance. The bright orange uniform of
Mirakle and a monthly pay of Rs 3,000 plus incentives have lent him a new confidence and dignity. Jagtap is also courting
a girl in his neighbourhood. “I will marry her when I save enough for my wedding,” he gesticulates with a blush.
He’s sure of one thing—the venue will not be anywhere near the Azad Maidan.
16 March 2010 Published on 16 March 2010 in Non-
profit, Social cause
( http://springwise.com/non-profit_social_cause/miraklecouriers/)
India has one of the largest deaf populations in the world, but social stigmas have
eliminated many job opportunities for the roughly 6 percent of the population that is
affected. Aiming to empower this isolated group economically, Mirakle Couriers is a
service provider that hires only deaf workers.
Mirakle Couriers offers a pickup and delivery service in Mumbai. The company puts a
heavy emphasis on the training of employees—right down to the finer points of
professional grooming—and has grown dramatically since its late 2008 launch. Its client
list now includes Johnson Controls, Bain Capital and the Indian Hotels Company, among
many others.
Founded by former investment banker Dhruv Lakra, Mirakle Couriers stresses that it is
"not a charity but a social business, where the social element is embedded in the
commercial operations". The firm plans to expand beyond Mumbai to other cities and
countries around the world. Social entrepreneurs hither and yon: time to get in touch...?
(Related: Adventures for sighted and non-sighted travellers — Network for people with
disabilities.)
CNBC TV18 Young Turks – Ideas Without Boundaries
(Logistics Special)
(http://www.yourstory.in/news/latest-news/4273-cnbc-tv18-
young-turks-ideas-without-boundaries-logistics-special)
Mirakle workers: Businessmen who help the disabled

2010-05-18 10:22:09
Last Updated: 2010-05-18 10:28:09
(http://sify.com/finance/mirakle-workers-businessmen-who-help-the-disabled-news-news-kfskwjgihcj.html)
New Delhi: A courier company in Mumbai which employs only deaf workers is playing a major role in changing social perception
that those who can't hear need charity to survive.
Aiming to empower the hearing impaired, who are unable to land jobs due to social ostracism, the company Mirakle Couriers has
been offering to employ them in a pick up and delivery service in Mumbai.
Spa services by the blind, courier delivery by the deaf and coffee outlet jobs for the deaf and dumb - growing individual efforts
have been seen to help the disabled community in India, who are riding on their will power and hard work to carve a niche for
themselves in a space dominated by the general population.
Established by a former investment banker Dhruv Lakra in 2008, Mirakle Couriers currently employs 55 deaf staffers.
In Focus: SMEs
"I found myself on a bus one day sitting next to a boy who was deaf and realised he had difficulty knowing where to get off since
all the stop announcements were made on the loud speaker. The massive communication barrier for deaf people makes
everything extremely hard," Lakra said.
The idea of starting a courier service was conceived then as it was something that did not require verbal communication with the
end customer.
"You can help a blind (man) walking with a stick as you can see their disability but you can not know whether or not a person is
deaf until you talk to him. His disability is invisible," says Lakra.
Schools for the deaf were handy in choosing early workers but once the word got around in the deaf community, Lakra began to
see a surge in job applicants whom he promptly interviewed before choosing suitable candidates.
Women take up the back office work while field work is left to the men.
Don't want complex derivatives, but enforce existing rules: SMEs
Training and communication is done in Indian sign language.
Similarly, a coffee chain, Costa Coffee employs deaf and dumb workers in its outlets in Delhi and Gurgaon.
One of the outlets in Gurgaon is run by a team of eight specially-abled employees.
"It's part of our corporate social responsibility. These people are very good in observation. They are keen to outperform others and
prove their ability," says Balpreet Grover, HR, Costa Coffee.
"Lunch time is the rush-hour at the outlet and they do face some problems, but, they are improving with each day," she adds.
Metta Spa in Mumbai, which employs blind workers to provide foot reflexology massages, is another enterprise that employs the
disabled.
The Blossom Kochhar Spa and Salon division in Delhi also trains the visually challenged and the deaf and dumb.
The sweet smell of roses
"These people are excellent. If they lack in one thing, they make up in the other. One of them has opened his own saloon in
Faridabad," says Blossom Kochhar.
One of her disabled trainees (deaf and dumb) won second place in a haircutting competition in Mumbai.
Joanita Figueiredo, a trained yoga teacher and reflexologist, started Metta Spa after the visually challenged students trained by
her failed to get jobs.
"Nobody was willing to employ them. Earlier they worked as telephone operators but mobile phones took away their jobs," she
says.
"These people are hundred times better than sighted reflexologists. I call them healers. They can concentrate more and have a
direct connection with the customers," she says.
However, the ride is not smooth always.
Rinku Singh, a courier delivery boy who takes care of a family of seven, says, "Badly written addresses are hard to find, security
guards give us difficulties in locating buildings and in some cases, people have shifted and not notified the billing company."
"We have however learnt to live with these small problems as they are part and parcel of the duty," he adds.
Prison inmates turn to furniture making
On-time delivery and the professional attitude of the staff has worked wonders for the company, which has managed to attract
many big corporates.
According to a World Bank report released in 2008, the disabled in India are more vulnerable than those hailing from backward
castes due to the negative mindset of the Indian society.
The employment of people with disability fell from 43 per cent in 1991 to 38 per cent in 2002 despite India's strong economic
growth, it says.
This despite the fact that people in general have been found to be supportive of such efforts.
"The response has been great. Our clients are usually very excited about us. They are amazed that we deliver on time and with a
highly professional attitude. Our boys are kind, well mannered and well dressed," says Lakra who runs the courier service.
"We have customers who specially visit us due to superb-healing touch by my healers," says Jenny.
In 2008, India signed and ratified UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities which asks the signing countries to
enforce a policy that will give all people with disabilities the right to find a job without discrimination.
Prisoners trained for 'meaty' jobs in Punjab
"Instead of being given the opportunity to earn a living in India, we hear about the struggles endured by disabled people as they
spend months and years of searching for a source of income, ultimately, left with no choice but to give up and stay at home -
helpless and dependent," says Lakra, who plans to expand to other metros like Delhi, Bangalore, Calcutta and Chennai in future.
"The assumption is, if you are disabled, your fate line stops at a bad working condition job or some charity work by the
government.
"Presenting them with a real professional opportunity is a miracle for their lives. We spell Mirakle with a K because we like to
highlight that we are different," adds Lakra with a smile.
CNBC TV18 Young Turks – Ideas Without Boundaries (Logistics
Special’
(http://www.yourstory.in/news/latest-news/4273-cnbc-tv18-
young-turks-ideas-without-boundaries-logistics-special)
Friday, 23 July 2010 10:51 YourStory Team Resources - Latest News
This week on ‘Young Turks - Ideas Without Boundaries’ log on

to our logistics special!
Meet Bhairavi Jani managing over a 100 year old family logistics and
supply chain business, the SCA Group. Bhairavi started her entrepreneurial journey in
2001 with her own venture i3pl. After a successful exit from the venture in 2005 she went
on to launch TranSmart and Scmooth for the SCA group. Today managing 11 logistic
companies under the group that gave India its first private air cargo express courier
service BlueDart, Bhairavi is now looking at consolidating operations as she takes a
more strategic role in the business. The group has interests in all aspects of the logistics
business in India from warehousing, movement to inventory management and even
software solutions for the industry.
Also meet Dhruv Lakra who is in the business of express delivery! A

courier company with a difference, Mirakle Couriers not just delivers the goods but
empowers people with hearing disabilities. An Oxford business school graduate and a
Skoll Scholar Dhruv launched Mirakle Couriers in 2008. Employing 60 deaf people the
venture today has corporates like M&M, the Aditya Birla Group and Godrej and Boyce
on its rolls. Starting up with just Rs 9000 Mirakle couriers today manages to do a
business of Rs 1 lakh every month.
And meet Hitendra Chaturvedi, decided to start-up a logistics business,

and decided to go backwards on the supply chain quiet literally! He is cashing in on the
concept of reverse logistics with his venture Reverse Logistics Company. An emerging
segment of the supply chain management business in India, Reverse Logistics
Company facilitates reverse movement of goods that happen from consumers back in to
supply chain. An over $4 billion opportunity, the venture is looking to gross a turnover of
Rs 30 Cr this year and has already had VCs knocking on its doors!
A
New Beginning(http://miraklecouriers.wordpress.com/2010/
01/19/a-new-beginning/)
January 19, 2010 · 2 Comments
Hi everyone,
This is Ekta, 24 years old, a lawyer and one of the fortunate ones to have an opportunity
to work for Mirakle. I say ‘fortunate’ because for me Mirakle stands for something that
no education and no amount of money can equip me with.
In an era where success is judged by one’s monetary net worth, going beyond the norm
(engineering, medicine, law, MBA etc etc) is considered the luxury of those who are
either (a) born privileged (eg. she has a rich husband – of course she can afford to do
social work), or (b) not good enough for the norm (eg. oh he didn’t find a job/she
couldn’t take the pressure – thus he/she joined a NGO), or (c) idealistic (eg. let him do
this for a few months – soon reality will strike him & he will start earning money).
Mirakle is the antithesis of the norm and yet does not fall under any of these heads.
Mirakle is the brain-child of a guy who quit investment banking at his peak to honour his
calling, worked in Dasra for 2 yrs to let reality strike him, studied in Oxford to strengthen
his social entrepreneurship skills and then came back to his country to do what he really
believed in – an organization which would enable the deaf for life.
He was ready for what awaited him – whether it be learning sign language, or convincing
people of his idea, or finding sponsors, or arranging for the essentials, or training his
employees, or finding clients, or walking the streets of Mumbai to deliver couriers
himself!
But he was not prepared for what followed – Echoing Green Fellowship, Helen Keller
Award, Distinguished Alumni Award (by HR College), countless articles featured on
Mirakle, endless praise from people par excellence, a business which grew at the speed of
light and above all 45 deaf employees who earned their own living – empowered to lead
a life of independence and dignity. For me, this is the definition of SUCCESS.
So far, I have very much been a part of the norm. But time and things have taught me to
look beyond my shell. After what seemed like eternity, I think I am ready to take the
plunge. I want to empower the most unprivileged group of our society – the poor; and
help them find their strengths so that they never have to depend on anyone’s charity.
I am clueless about what I should do to achieve this aim and how to do it. And that’s the
reason Mirakle is a beginning for me. An untiring desire to empower the deaf is what
Mirakle stands for and is what I hope to develop. I am here to see, observe and learn how
Mirakle works. What really drives the organization? How does Mirakle market itself?
What is the reason it has achieved so much so soon? How has it changed lives? What are
the difficulties it faces in achieving its goals?
Mirakle is special as it will help me get closer to my dream. The skills and knowledge
that I acquire here will go a long way in furthering my education in this field. Hopefully,
Mirakle will benefit from me as I much as I learn from it.
In the following months, I will keep you posted on what I learnt from Mirkale and how I
tried to assist Mirakle in its endeavours.
For now, please wish me luck and wish Mirakle success
Branding
(http://miraklecouriers.wordpress.com/category/branding/)
Hi everyone,
Please accept my apologies for not writing and not being in touch. Things have been
crazy and that would be an understatement. We have grown tremendously over the past
six months and working through the challenges. This blog entry is about one of the key
challenges that we are facing – branding and perception. I strongly believe many
organizations working in the disability space are facing the same. What position to take?
Many people ask me “what is your marketing and brand strategy for Mirakle”. How are
you the positioning it. We are a very young social enterprise and though we are in the
process of developing one, I quickly wanted to discuss with our readers what we are
thinking about it in terms of the two very important but varied aspects.
Commercial – We at the end of the day are a social business, where the social mission is
embedded in the commercial operations. We cannot forget the fact that we are in the
express and courier delivery business. What does the client want – his/her shipment
should reach the destination within the stipulated period of time. Many of them don’t care
that we are employing people with disabilities and their business can help an isolated
population. I completely understand that (I also completely understand the social aspect
discussed below). We have to give importance to our delivery and service standards. I
can think of Fabindia which was set up to improve the income levels of artisans.
Nowhere in the store can you see that story. Their clothes are funky, hip, smart and have
a strong cool quotient. Some consumers know about it and some don’t. I am sure that
consumers who know about it are also not buying the products because of that very social
mission. At the end of the day its about pricing, quality of service, customer retention and
the product offering. We are very clear that for a while our business will take a lead as we
once this takes off then we can take care of our social mission.
Social – Now to the dark side of the moon. Why don’t we just do something or buy
something or use at the same quality level which at the same time helps somebody. Here
the problem of perception is the reason, especially in sectors like disability which has a
strong link with charity as people think that the differently able are inferior. Many times
when there is a genuine delay which is not our fault such as the trains are not working.
Some of our clients tell me “ koi baat nehi, yeh to disabled hai na to time to lagega he”.
This also leads into pricing, I strongly believe that we should get a premium for our
services. I know many people think that let the market decide. Free markets. Agree to that
but we cannot forget that our training costs are higher, and we have to work harder. I
would like this to happen but the opposite has happened. We get calls from people who
ask for unthinkable prices because the assumption is that the deaf are hired cheap.
If Mirakle is adding value to a company through diversity and vendor management, then
why cant corporations pay a premium for the services. We were featured in Outlook
Business for this – the piece is here http://business.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?260080.
Unfortunately, everything is looked from the price point of view. Ideally, we would like
to be a player that is high on service and quality but at the same time would like
consumers to understand that their shipment is giving a salary to someone who has very
little opportunities to work.
So this brings us back to the question- our branding and marketing strategy. Any thoughts
from our lovely readers.??
Dhruv
Categories: Branding · Business · Marketing

Tagged: Deaf, Mumbai, Social Impact, Training
T- shirts in the house
December 3, 2008 · 2 Comments
I am writing after a long time, apologies to my readers. Lately, things have been tense
here in Mumbai and I just did not feel like writing.
This post is about our t-shirts, and i am really happy the way they have been made. The
colour combination is slightly different than the logo that you see on the very first post.
The deaf boys will be wearing orange colour t-shirts with black collars and cuffs. A
couple of reasons for this – they should stand out, and should be smartly dressed. We will
also be giving them straps which they will wear around their necks with the name
Mirakle Couriers embroidered in it, and this will also have their ID cards which are the
most important thing for them. With so many security concerns these days, the first thing
they should show is their ID cards and the names on the t shirts. I will also give them
yellow caps, and then it will be awesome.
Attached is picture of the t shirts, let me know what you think. If you see the boys on the
road or anywhere, you should know that they are deaf. I will also be putting their profiles
up very soon. Spread the word, spread the message.
T - shirts (front)
T- Shirt (back)
rock out,
Dhruv
Categories: Branding · Marketing

Tagged: Deaf, Logo, Mumbai, Uniforms
Logo Explained.
I have been working on the logo for a

while with a cousin and some friends. The two or three things that i had in mind for the
logo were the following:
1. should be clear that we are a courier company
2. should bring a sense of curiosity in the consumer’s mind, spread the message about the
sign language and make people aware of how the deaf talk to each other. This is the
reason why we have a letter shown in Indian sign language (I). It also shows that I (deaf)
can do this and the dot on the I shows reaching for higher aspirations in life… touching
the sky..
3. the word and tag line should bring a sense of awe, and should make people aware that
this is possible. Hence the name Mirakle Couriers. The k is for Karmic connection.
rock and roll,
Dhruv
Categories: Branding
Tagged: Logo
Logo
October 9, 2008 · Leave a Comment
Deciding the logo has been a struggle, when there are so many ideas and thoguhts
involved. I am getting there and in the process of developing a really cool, out of the box
and funky logo for Mirakle Couriers.
Tagged: Logo
A courier company in Mumbai with a difference
Mirakle Courier Company is courier company with a difference in Mumbai. We hire

underprivileged deaf boys for pick-ups and drops and the sorting is done by deaf girls. In
India people with different abilities have been discouraged for a long time as a result of
this discrimination there is a strong sense in the minds that they are useless and not
worthy of anything. I am just using the word “they” for reference, we are one team and
there are no differences.
we will prove them wrong.. watch this space..
rock on
Dhruv
Tagged: Deaf, Logo, Mumbai
Empowering deaf adults: Mirakle
Couriers(http://blog.ennovent.com/2010/04/empowering-
deaf-adults-mirakle-couriers/)
Posted by Kavita Krishnamurthy | April 27, 2010
| Comments (2)
| Leave a Reply
Can you earn your living without speaking to anyone? Well, Mirakle Couriers’ team of
55 delivery boys do not speak, much as they cannot hear. But they are perfectly
empowered to be a part of society. Dhruv Lakra, Founder and CEO of Mirakle Couriers
tells us more about sustainable income for deaf adults and his dream.
Dhruv Lakra, Founder & CEO, Mirakle Couriers
Q. How did you get the idea of empowering the deaf?
A. I was always keen on working on social impact. One day in a bus, a deaf boy sat next
to me. I was amazed at how well he communicated- by writing on a pad. This got me
thinking about how the deaf are perfectly normal except for the one disability. I did some
research and realized that our country has the highest number of deaf adults in the world.
Q. Why a courier service?
A. In India, deaf people are usually segregated from society. They don’t get normal jobs;
they do book binding or candle making that too only during festivals.
I wanted to change the perception & empower the deaf and help them earn on a
sustainable basis. While thinking of areas where verbal communication is least required,
the thought of a courier service struck me! When a delivery boy delivers mail, nobody
speaks to him. We just sign and take the mail. In this, I saw this as a real business
opportunity.
Q. How does Mirakle couriers work? What’s your business model?

A. It’s like any other courier company. We charge the client and have our cost structure
in place. We cater to large corporates. Our field boys are all deaf adults and our back
office is an all-girls team. Our supervisors are women who are into accounting, tracking
and more.
When I started in December 2008, we were just two – one delivery boy and me. But now
there are 55 people in the set-up. Our office is only in Mumbai but we deliver across the
globe.
Q. Do you tell your clients that your delivery boys are deaf adults?
A. Yes, because I think people should change their perception about the deaf, and their
ability to perform. And if something goes wrong, just as things go wrong in regular
businesses, then the client should not turn back and say he was unaware that the
deliveries were made by deaf adults.
Mirakle's Office team
Q. You have done a lot to empower the deaf adult community. How tough was it to
put it into practice?
A. These boys are not educated and are poor readers. A new boy has to get familiar with
the delivery area. We can’t give him an area map and ask him to get going. Usually we
send the new boy with a trained one. We observe how he interacts with customers and
slowly he goes on his own.
When we began, most clients gave us their unimportant materials. They didn’t trust us
with time sensitive or critical stuff. After a while, we shared the statistics that 99 out of
100 mails were delivered properly. That’s when things started changing.
Q. What were the difficulties you faced along the way and how did you sort them?
A. One time, all the delivery boys in a certain area went on holiday as a common friend
was getting married. We could not depute new boys as it takes him time to learn the area.
From then on we trained every boy to deliver in two areas.
The Team
Q. What support do you seek to take the initiative to the next level?
A. I think we need an increase in volumes and more infrastructure, which we are working
on.
Read more about a day in the life of the Mirakle courier boy at their official blog
http://miraklecouriers.wordpress.com/ or check out their website to know more about the
company www.miraklecouriers.com
Mirakles do happen!
By Indira Gartenberg
http://infochangeindia.org/200904307734/Disabilities/Changemaker/Mirakles-
do-happen.html
A courier service entirely run and staffed by the hearing-impaired? Is it a workable idea? Here’s the remarkable story of just such a
service surviving against all odds
Dhruv Lakra (right) and the Mirakle team
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.
Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has - Margaret Mead, anthropologist.
I walked into Dhruv Lakra’s office in Churchgate, Mumbai, on the morning of March 20, 2009, but was not expecting to witness an
unusually quiet courier agency room. Seconds later, I saw a rapid -- almost electric -- exchange of messages in sign language
between Dhruv and his team. Yes, all the employees in Mirakle Couriers are deaf or have only partial hearing and are in the age-
group of 20-30 years. Questions race in my head, and so does curiosity. The imagined boundaries of core qualifications or
‘essentials’ for a job suddenly start dissolving in front of my eyes.
Dhruv Lakra flagged off Mirakle Couriers with its tagline ‘Delivering possibilities’ with a single employee in November 2008. In just
five months, he has a team of 19 employees — four women and 15 men— all of them hearing-impaired.
What prompted this Oxford MBA to pursue this unusual initiative? After his undergraduate studies in Mumbai, Dhruv worked in an
international investment bank for some time, but says he did not enjoy the experience. A general interest in philanthropy and an
introduction to social entrepreneurship while studying, he says, were the key to his new thinking. Dhruv came up with the idea of
starting a courier agency with deaf persons.
He recruited his employees after visiting various ‘deaf clubs’ in Mumbai. Word was soon out that someone in town was hiring deaf
people for a courier agency, and Dhruv found many aspirants. After careful scrutiny and background checks of those he found
eligible, Dhruv hired 14 people, and now that number has gone up to 19. From his own savings, and from ‘angel capital’, he
managed to get going.
Mirakle Couriers is run like any professional outfit – there is no scope or space for mediocrity out of pity or sympathy. Dhruv is very
particular about whom he hires. Once they are in, they have to follow the rules of the company, from being punctual, wearing the
right walking shoes and clean uniforms and reporting back in the office with their delivery receipts. Dhruv pays them well and is
also big on incentives.
For every task done well, there is a bonus. The objective is clear: if you work hard and perform well, you will be rewarded; if not,
you quit. Currently two big business houses are clients. Mirakle delivers only in Mumbai for now. Interestingly, the courier company
sends a copy of some common greetings (Hello, Thank you, Sorry etc) in sign language along with each of their deliveries.
Women employees are not sent out as delivery agents but sort the mail according to pin-codes. It’s an important job in the courier
business. “How you sort is how you deliver,” says Dhruv. Training the delivery men, Dhruv says, was challenging. They had to be
shown their way around town, and most importantly had to be taught the skills of interpersonal communication, like the right body
language, presentation and some do’s and don’ts. For example, they must make sure that when they exit a lift, they close the door
properly because they cannot hear the chime that alerts one to an open door. Dhruv says that training one delivery agent takes
him roughly 15 days. The entire team uses the SMS facility on their mobile phones to communicate their whereabouts.
The challenges that this young social entrepreneur faces today are diverse. For one, there is an issue of space. When Mirakle
Couriers began operations in November 2008, they worked out of the office of a big company, which encouraged the idea. They
had to move out after two months and now work from another company’s office, but they need a permanent office. Training, hiring
and taking orders, finding clients and publicising the company is all done by Dhruv. He needs volunteers to help out as well as
resources that would allow him to increase his clientele and spread to other cities.
Larger question
Mirakle Couriers spotlights important issues for debate. Any debate on disability must start by asking some key questions. What is
disability? What shapes public opinion about disability? What is the inner world of the disabled? What are the implications of our
culturally shaped opinions for deaf people in particular and disability in general? Is there scope for the disabled to live a life of
dignity? The issues are particularly important in India, home to the largest deaf population in the world.
Cultures all over the world have gone through exclusivist attitudes and policies towards the disabled. In the Western pre-
industrialised era of the agrarian economy, myth and superstition dominated. Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) were believed to be
‘cursed’ or possessed by ‘evil spirits’. Later, with its focus on manual/physical labour, industrialisation in the 18th-19th century took
this idea one step further, by stressing that only the able-bodied could perform productive roles in society and the economy.
Obviously, the disabled were pushed out once again. Further, drawing on Darwin’s theory of evolution, Francis Galton in the 1880s
was developing the ‘Eugenics’ school of thought which involved segregation of all those people who were perceived to be
‘abnormal’ and their subsequent elimination from society.
American functionalism and deviance theory was grounded in economics. Its foremost proponent, Talcott Parsons, argued in the
late-1940s that “the normal state of being in Western developed societies is ‘good health’; consequently, sickness, and by
implication impairments, are deviations from ‘normality’”. Those that are unfit to perform a function, implying those that cannot be
productive, constitute deviant behaviour that needs to be corrected.
One can therefore infer that disability is a social construction. In a stratified society like India, social factors like poverty (read
class), religion, region, caste and gender form the basis of this social construct—and can serve both as a reason and consequence
of it. Therefore, one’s position in society, based on these social factors, determines to a large extent, the deprivation levels of the
disabled.
Deafness, like any other disability in India, is often a matter of shame for families. The deaf who come from lower socio-economic
backgrounds experience even more trying times throughout their lives. For one, they have one of the most clandestine and
‘invisible’ disabilities, in that no one can see a person and tell if s/he is deaf. As if the struggles at home were not enough,
challenges begin at the level of schooling too— there is no sign language, only spoken medium of instruction. Further ahead, there
are no deaf colleges in India (but for the plans of one that might be underway). As such, most deaf students manage to only
complete their basic level of schooling in India.
There is very little access to information for most deaf persons despite computers and internet, which are out of the reach of many.
This is a shameful irony given that India boasts of being a major IT hub. A large population of people with the capabilities to use
these communication systems is excluded from them.
Dhruv Lakra says, “The attitude of the past 50 years or so has been closely linked to our insensitivity: for instance, it is common
practice in many Indian families to go to a disability school on a child’s birthday and distribute sweets to the less fortunate.”
It is important to situate Dhruv’s entrepreneurial venture against this background. If disability is a social construct with strong
economic undercurrents as illustrated above, Dhruv has set out to challenge this very foundation to build a new one based on the
inherent capabilities of the disabled. The employees of Mirakle Couriers have, in their own words, “come a long way”. Ravindra,
who engaged in intensive manual labour, carrying hundreds of kilos of foodgrain on his back, finds that the new job is like a new
life. Vinod worked as a domestic help earlier, sweeping and cleaning to earn a livelihood. Reshma and Geeta both worked as
jewellery designers for several years. They worked long hours, never saw an increase in salary, and frequently got yelled at by
their employers.
Curiously, if we decide to measure the ‘Decent Work’ (1) conditions of the working deaf population in India (mostly engaged in
home-based work, physical labour and domestic work), it would not be surprising to find a high level of ‘Decent Work deficit’. All of
the employees of Mirakle felt that while their earlier jobs gave them money, there were high levels of discrimination, lower wages
for a lot more work (as compared to not-disabled persons) and no dignity. According to them, this job makes them self-sufficient
and independent, lets them use their critical faculties, gives them a sense of fulfilment and most importantly, gives them a life of
dignity.
In step with the modern world
Globalisation has been truly emancipatory for persons with disability in India. Neha Trivedi of Xavier’s Resource Centre for the
Visually Challenged (XRCVC) in Mumbai, says that the coming of MNCs to India after 1991 has been a welcome change for the
Indian disabled population. For one, Western countries have stringent policies on inclusion of PWDs. Second, the new buzzword in
human resources (HR) departments of many of these companies is ‘diversity’. So ‘diversity managers’ consciously encourage,
promote and hire PWDs (in addition to persons with varied diverse associations based on sexuality, gender, race, religion, ethnicity
and so on). A reputed German MNC has also reported that the attrition rates in their service/support centres in Chennai were
lowest among PWDs. Diversity therefore, also makes business sense.
Disabled rights movements all over the West, starting with those in the US in the 1960s, have done much to bring positive change
in the lives of disabled persons all over the world. Following numerous discussions, social movements and pressure from
organisations working for the disabled and change in government policies over the years, the focus has shifted from rehabilitation
to integration to inclusion/mainstreaming in most countries of the Western world. The question of rights of the disabled occupies a
significant place in the public sphere today. There are discussions, public fora, university courses, conferences, media coverage on
the one hand and mushrooming of multiple organisations working to bridge the gap on the other.
In India, however, we have only just begun. Not only is there need to expand the resource-base for the disabled and improve their
access to these resources, but their issues need to be in the public sphere. For instance, sign language could be introduced in
school syllabi as part of formal education, and it could help both those that need it given their disability and those able that are
interested in learning it. Mass media has a major role to play. Sensitisation is required at all levels. The challenges are many and
we have a long way to go. An organisation like Mirakle Couriers has shown the way.
(For any further information on Mirakle Couriers, or to place orders, please contact Dhruv Lakra on his mobile: +91 98209 75600.
You could also email him at the dhruv.lakra@miraklecouriers.com and/or dhruv.lakra@oxfordbusinessalumni.org
)
(Indira Gartenberg is a research officer at the School of Management & Labour Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai,
India)
Endnotes
1.Decent Work refers to opportunities for women and men to obtain work in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human
dignity. According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Decent Work involves opportunities for work that is productive
and delivers a fair income, security in the workplace and social protection for families, better prospects for personal development
and social integration, freedom for people to express their concerns, organise and participate in the decisions that affect their lives
and equality of opportunity and treatment for all women and men.
Reprinted from http://www.yess.co.in
Unique Indian courier service provides

employment for the deaf
(http://hopebuilding.pbworks.com/Unique-Indian-courier-service-provides-employment-
for-the-deaf)
Page history last edited by Rosemary 3 mos ago
Mirakle Couriers: Career Haven for the Deaf
By Ranjini Sivaswamy
We hear a lot about corporate social responsibility where companies contribute to the welfare of the
society. But here is an organization where social responsibility is not just a residue of its profits, but the
core purpose that guides its existence. Mirakle Couriers was born with a business idea that will support the
livelihood of deaf adults.
There is no charity here, it is business, it is
employment for the deaf. Mirakle simply touched the biggest pain point in the lives of the disabled, their
employment. Their talents are all hidden and forgotten. The possibility of them being able to do something
is never given a thought and we have them excluded from the mainstream. Moved by this very stigma,
Dhruv Lakra founded Mirakle Couriers and invested his trust on the abilities of the deaf.
Based out of Mumbai, this organization started off with just two deaf boys in their team. Now the team has
grown to 35 boys and 15 girls. The boys are entrusted with the responsibility of delivering the couriers
while the girls work at the office. The employees at Mirakle have come in from different backgrounds and
have stories to share that will tear our hearts apart. Abusive families, exploiting work environments,
seclusion and what not. But their lives have changed. They are today earning members of their families.
They are respected, independent and they love the job they are doing.
Bhupesh, an employee at Mirakle who has suffered a horrific past, says: “I asked a deaf friend if he could
help me find a job. He took me to meet Dhruv. Now that I am at Mirakle, I can finally feed my brother and
myself. I give thanks to my God everyday for this opportunity. I am the only deaf person in my whole
village and I have no friends. Life is stressing there. Mirakle provides me with friends who are all deaf like
me. I can finally talk to someone like me, share a joke and just enjoy life.”
The biggest success of Mirakle Couriers lies in being able to give a respectable livelihood to the deaf.
Mirakle goes to schools for the deaf to hire its people. The word about the opportunity at Mirakle has
spread among the deaf with more and more people coming to join in. This unique people force is bringing
success to the business which in return is spreading silent smiles of happiness.
India has one of the highest deaf populations in the world. Due to strong stigma in the society there are
virtually no job opportunities for this isolated population. Outdated vocations such as candle making have
shunned this community; Mirakle Couriers wants to change this grim scenario. It wants to economically
empower this community and make them more visible in the Indian society.
This story was published in The Better India, created by Anuradha Parekh and Dhimant Parekh of
Bangalore, as a place to showcase happy stories, unsung heroes and heroines, small good deeds, to
inspire readers to take similar action. See more stories about the staff of Mirakle Couriers on their blog.
A day at a courier company staffed entirely by deaf

people(http://www.pagalguy.com/2010/05/what-it-
takes-to-run-a-courier-company-staffed-entirely-by-
deaf-people/)
by Lajwanti D'souza on 26 May 2010
in Best of PaGaLGuY, Mirakle Couriers, Said Business School, Social entrepreneurship,
University of Oxford
85 comments
Run by a 29-year-old Oxford MBA and staffed almost entirely by deaf people, Mumbai-
based ‘Mirakle Couriers’ is a unique company whose internal operations we were long
interested in. So we got PaGaLGuY’s Lajwanti D’souza to spend a day at Mirakle
Couriers and accompany a hearing-impaired delivery boy through the concrete jungle of
Mumbai’s commercial Fort area and witness for herself this miracle of social
entrepreneurship.
The Mirakle Couriers office at Churchgate, Mumbai with its huge stacks of parcels and
loads of paper, employees busy handing over documents and packages to each other,
looks like any other busy courier delivery service outlet. The only difference is that
Mirakle Couriers operates in almost a deadly silence. With all its employees deaf and the
CEO and founder Dhruv Lakra conversing with them in sign language, the only sound is
that of paper crunching and packages being thumped on the floor. Dhruv, an MBA from
Said Business School, Oxford University has kept upright the lessons he learnt on social
entrepreneurship at Oxford and put them to practice by starting this unusual company.
For Lakra, while there are 60,000 deaf people in India, the disability has been the least
focused one. “That’s because you don’t know a person is deaf by simply looking at him,”
he says. Unlike blind or physically challenged people, whose disabilities are more visible.
It was a chance witnessing of local bus conductor argue with a deaf commuter that
spurred Dhruv’s eureka moment to start a company with deaf people.
It did not take much time before Dhruv moved out of a zooming corporate career with a
premium investment bank to complete his MBA at Oxford and start this unique venture
in 2008. With no precedent of this kind anywhere, he had to start from scratch, which
meant liaising with NGOs and visiting sites where he was likely to meet deaf people.
“Deaf people are usually well-connected so by word of mouth, I connected to a lot of
them,” said Lakra.
Today this 29-year-old operates a company employing 55 deaf people. Deaf men do the
package delivery, while deaf women work on package sorting. For Lakra, it is like
running any other company, only that at every corner, he has to bear the sensitivities of
his employees in mind.
Recruiting a deaf workforce
This has always been the most difficult part for Lakra. Recruitment companies, job
websites and HR stalwarts are of no use for him. Lakra started the outfit by scouring
every place he was told he would find deaf people in Mumbai, from street corners to
NGOs and following leads given by people in the know-how. After Lakra got his initial
set of people, the later recruits approached him on their own and thus started the young
man’s unusual tryst with social entrepreneurship.
After meeting people, Lakra conducts a round of interviews with his prospective
employees. It’s important for Lakra, as soon as he is handed over a resume, to do a
thorough background check on the candidate’s family background and the places he has
worked at before. “The employee’s background should be good and also his past
employers should have a good opinion about him. It’s very important for me in this
profession,” said Lakra. Once the background is checked into, an interview follows. Here
Lakra gives good attention to the candidate’s appearance and confidence his personality
exudes. It’s important for Mirakle Courier employees to feel good and automatically like
looking good for the job. A check is made whether the prospective employee likes to
display a neat and clean appearance. Once the candidate passes this stage, he is recruited.
The same goes for the female deaf employees who work in the office. Many come from
troubled backgrounds and this company has come like a whiff of fresh air for them, as
many have earlier been known to forcibly take up jobs at artificial jewellery-making and
other such small units.
When PaGaLGuY.com spoke to Lakra, two of his employees had left the company all of
a sudden. For both, their families did not want them to work as courier boys. They would
rather have them sit at home or choose softer career options like making candles. For
Lakra, this is the biggest challenge. “Not only the public at large but even with families
of deaf people, the urge is to sympathize with the disability. Families prefer that the deaf
sit at home rather than work. The fear of putting them in society is major,” said Lakra.
A workday, Key Result Areas
Punctuality, speed and concentration on work are some of the prime attributes Lakra
expects from his staff. “They have to report on time to work and that means they would
report to their destinations too on time,” said Lakra. Speed plays a big factor for the
courier company and it is because of the speed proposition that the company has bagged
lucrative bulk orders from corporate clients, including a recent one from Vodafone which
is keeping the little company on its toes right from 10 am to 6.30 pm at one stretch. While
the men have to work in top speed on the field, the women have to keep up with the pace
at the office while sorting the packages. The company delivers packages between
Churchgate to Borivali on the western corridor, CST (VT) to Mulund on the central
corridor and CST (VT) to Mankhurd on the Harbour Line (all suburban local railway
lines in Mumbai). For nearby areas such as Nariman Point, CST (VT) and Churchgate,
the Mirakle boys tread on foot. While for suburban areas, the train is the travel mode.
Like many courier companies which make their mark in specific types of packages,
Mirakle Couriers hopes to be the best at ferrying fragile packages. Keeping in mind the
nature of its employees and that closely-knit nature of the setup, Lakra thinks that they
will be best suited to transport packages which require extra care.
Training
Training is an ongoing process at Mirakle Couriers and not restricted to annual

programmes like at other companies. Since Lakra believes that his company is not a
charity and has to compete with some of the more known companies in the courier
business, one has to be on the ball at all times. Training for proper body language, using
the right walking shoes, coming back with delivery reports, wearing clean clothes is an
everyday matter with the company. Keeping nails short and fingers clean is also an
important must with the company. After all it is the fingers and nails of a courier boy that
one notices first when a delivery is made or when he hands you over a pen to sign on the
delivery report. The courier boys are also trained to close and open lifts fully since they
are unable to hear lift chimes and may spend precious minutes just waiting for a lift to
start. Since competition is tough, speed is also an issue that the company works very hard
to keep up with.
For Lakra, it is daily habit to make sure that his staff look presentable and are clean in
their appearance. Delivery reports are checked everyday and any discrepancy is dealt
with immediately. Earlier, the company used to have daily meetings but since they took
up precious time, they were done away with and work starts as immediately as when the
boys walk in at 9.30 am.
Increments
How does Lakra recognise a good employee from a yet-to-learn type? “We have
parameters for them to function with. Speed, delivery reports, number of packages
delivered in a time-frame are some of the parameters on which they are checked,” said
Lakra. Increments are doled out accordingly. Mirakle Couriers pays the minimum wages.
Lakra has a proper conversation (in sign language) with his employees when he thinks
they need to perk up in any sphere. In the courier business, even one wrong move can
mean a client switching sides forever. Hence it is a daily task to keep the machinery oiled
and working at all times.
Stress factors
One would think that such a systematic setup would leave Lakra with hardly any stress,
but that’s a far cry. The competitive environment in which his company functions and his
urge to make companies and people to realise the potential competence of hearing-
disabled people is what keeps Lakra thinking deep at nights, hiring new staff being his
first concern. Since inception, word-of-mouth has helped. But societal pressures and
over-protective families make hiring difficult from time to time. The company also has to
strive hard to make sure its courier boys are treated like any other and that on the field,
their disability goes unnoticed. The idea is for them to provide such high level of service
that the clients do not even realise that their courier boy is deaf (this is something that the
reporter in this story can vouch for, since she spent a few hours with one of the courier
boys and at no point did any of the clients suspect the disability or was there any kind of
wrangle because of it).
——
Walking the Talk with Umesh Madhavkar (age 23 years), a Mirakle Couriers employee
as he delivered packages in Mumbai’s Fort area
Madhavkar’s one giant step is equal to two of mine and it was one uphill task trying to
keep pace with this young courier boy. It seemed like Madhavkar knew every paving-
block en route and smoothly turned at every road corner as if he were walking in his
backyard. He zipped in and out of the labyrinths of the Fort area like he was on a bike
only stopping attentively for red signal lights and to re-check addresses on his packages.
One of the first buildings we went to was the Army Navy building. Madhavkar displayed
his packages (mobile bills) to the watchman seated in the foyer who murmured ‘paanch
mala’ (fifth story) and looked the other way. Not having understood immediately,
Madhavkar looked questioningly at the watchman, who then repeated ‘paanch’ a little
loudly. Madhavkar walked to the lift and got off on the fifth-floor and kept hunting for
the company whose name was mentioned on the package. His eyes swiftly moved from
one office to another along the archaic corridors. He finally found his office and with a
smile delivered the package. The lady at the reception who was on the phone and even
before we walked in completely, simply signed and gave back the delivery report,
continuing her phone conversation.
The next two packages were to be delivered in the same building and Madhavkar
signaled to me to take the stairs and not wait for the lift. As Madhavkar clutched the
remaining mobile bills in his hand, I noticed the name of the company missing, only the
recipient’s name. That sent a worry line across Madhavkar’s forehead who gestured that
we would have to get into many offices to search for this person. We entered the office of
Newswire 18. The watchman seated at the reception said that there was no such person
with that name and when Madhavkar looked intently at him, the watchman realised that
something was amiss and signaled the same message with his hands in the air.
He urged us to look into the next office which was Vaishnavi Corporate
Communications. Madhavkar then marched off to Vaishnavi, (I was still doubling my
steps to keep to his speed) and gave the package to the receptioniist. To Madhavkar’s
good luck, the person did work there but had unfortunately left the company a while ago.
When Madhavkar did not understand this at the first take, he looked at the receptionist
again with a smile and she repeated that the person in question had left the company.
Madhavkar understood, took back the package and raced down the steps again to a
building on the opposite side of the road.
While crossing the road, Madhavkar fixed his eyes at the signal lights as if it were a
monument of splendour. He looked at me and waived his hand asking me to wait
patiently for the lights to turn for us to cross. He also made sure that both of us were
standing along the zebra lines.
The next building was Jehangir Building and the guard asked Madhavkar where he
wanted to go. On seeing the address on the package, he directed him accordingly. A
pleasant Parsi lady, a receptionist at Camphor and Allied, greeted Madhavkar with a
smile when he delivered the mobile bill to her. When she learnt that he was deaf (I told
her so as to understand her thoughts), she smiled even more profusely while returning the
delivery report.
In Navsari building, a few blocks away, the liftman Yashpal Tripathi probably recognised
Madhavkar and was extremely courteous to him. He spoke loudly and told Madhavkar
that while one of the packages belonged to an office on the third floor, the other was on
the way to the first floor. The top floor office was of Kalyani and Company Chartered
Accountants and Madhavkar was welcomed by a smiling Parsi lady named Farida Kasar.
Again I told Kasar that Madhavkar was deaf. On hearing, the petite lady broke into a
huge grin and with her arms gesturing a hug, she told Madhavkar that she would
henceforth speak slowly to make sure he understands and that he should not worry about
anything. Madhavkar smiled and walked away after delivering the package.
Throughout that part of the day, Madhavkar did 30 to 40 other deliveries in the deep
alleys of the Fort area. After covering many more buildings and being greeted by some
friendly and some not-so-friendly people I bid Madhavkar a goodbye. Slowly but surely
Madhavkar disappeared into the milling crowd and in the dark foyers of the old
buildings. I turned and traced my steps backwards, wondering how many more packages
Madhavkar would have delivered by the close of the day with his giant strides.
Leave a Reply
#1 May 26, 2010, 4:00 pm
singhthe1st very good initiative by pagalguy to bring this worthwhile endevour

to our notice…it proves that these kind of people are differntly
abled not disabled…..
mohit jhurani #2 May 26, 2010, 4:11 pm
Kudos PG!!! And double Kudos to Dhruv…words possibly wont do

any justice to this zealous confluence of business,entrepreneurship
and social responsibility.
If I remember correctly Dhruv also featured in one of the PG
articles.
@ PG and Lajwanti D’souza : Could we please have an interview of
Dhruv so that aspiring MBA students can get a bit more insight into
his amazing journey?
#3 May 26, 2010, 4:11 pm
Many of us say that we gonna do this and that for the society, but
Rohit Garg
what matters is what we have done ! Hats off to Mr Dhruv Lakra for
such an excellent initiative and Thanks to our own PG for putting it
here.
#4 May 26, 2010, 4:14 pm
amidst all this talk of b school placements and how b school

students are striving for jobs this tells us that MBA’s can themselves
be value creators, bringing about social and economic change in
society. Ventures such as this are the result of true and deeply
techgodajay ingrained education. Would love to hear such accounts more often
and the icing on the cake would be if such ventures are started by
students from the Indian “ivy league” b schools. Kudos to Mr.
Dhruv Lakra for providing hope not only to his employees but also
showing all of us a new path and touching the lives of millions of
other ppl who might take courage from this and change thr lives and
society.
#5 May 26, 2010, 4:24 pm
Way to go PG. Way more enthralling and useful than those

Rasool
placement reports! But I guess its the people who come here for the
placement reports who need to read this the most.
Cheerio!
#6 May 26, 2010, 4:33 pm
nomisanand
that was worth the time I spend reading it
#7 May 26, 2010, 4:43 pm
chaitanya thota
i appreciate PG for letting us kno such things.all the best dhruv lakra
#8 May 26, 2010, 4:48 pm
sundaash
Thank you for sharing.
#9 May 26, 2010, 4:54 pm
jai shriram
thank u PG. Wish u the best dhruv lakra.
prateek.ahuja23 #10 May 26, 2010, 4:58 pm
Working for yourself and your family is easy but working for
society and trying to make a change in it is wonderful..hats off
Mr.Dhruv Lakra you have inspired some selfish people like us to
stop and think for a moment what needs to be done..thanks alot once
again..
#11 May 26, 2010, 4:59 pm
harishvenkatram hats off to dhruv lakre and a very good job by PG for this article.
PG can come up with more such articles so as to spred awareness
about social entrepreneurship.
#12 May 26, 2010, 5:00 pm
For me it is easily the best article done by PG so far….much better

than the “inside story” of bschool placements…
aviator1
a suggestion: we can have a series here where you put up articles of
people from premier schools who have shunned corporate careers to
do something different
#13 May 26, 2010, 5:10 pm
Alex_Mahone
The best post in PG till date..Great write up!!!Thanks a
lot..Inspirational too!!
#14 May 26, 2010, 5:18 pm
worth a standing applause..

N.M things like this is required now to bring these ppl in limelight and to
show that everyone is capable of one or the other thing..they are not
liablity if we make them train in vocational things they can earn
their bread and butter w/o being a burdenn on anyone..
#15 May 26, 2010, 5:22 pm
priyang agarwal Wow!!! what a article.A g8 initiative by Dear Lakra.Hats off.A

salute to PG’s initiative which brings this in light.
While reading I really njoyed it..
#16 May 26, 2010, 5:30 pm
Relly a good article.. n i must also congratulate PG 4 dere effort in

bringing such a good initiative into limelight
Gaurav Sharma
Many among us might be interested in Social Enterpreneurship.. but
we never quite tried, or put in our efforts
I hope dis acts as a motivator
Good work PG
#17 May 26, 2010, 5:31 pm
SatMBA
one of the most inspiring entrepreneurs…way to go Dhruv Lakra!
wish him all the the best
#18 May 26, 2010, 5:39 pm
takeNoPrisoners
Inspirational stuff.
A big thanks for such a meaningful report.
#19 May 26, 2010, 5:40 pm
senthil kumar A really good one and the best that i have read in pagal. do let us
know of some really good entrepreneurs who have not taken the
usual company careers
#20 May 26, 2010, 5:42 pm
Excellent initiative by Lakre….Loved it because he had a viable

business plan that does not exploit or beg for sentiments of
public….
kidillan Also it is wonderful to see that Lakre has provided an excellent

opportunity for many differently abled to show why they are an
asset to the society
All the best!!! Lakre
Thanks a lot Pagalguy for showcasing this wonderful story to many
#21 May 26, 2010, 5:44 pm

santiago_
thats like pagalguy kind of post……….loved it!
#22 May 26, 2010, 5:51 pm
x_rohit
keep posting stuffs like this …
#23 May 26, 2010, 6:23 pm
Neha W
Great effort by PG…Kudos to u guys…Keep writing such stuff..
#24 May 26, 2010, 6:30 pm
Superb work both by the owner (& the boys) and PG… really
Gen. Maximus
inspirational
keep up the good work !!

#25 May 26, 2010, 6:39 pm
Raveesh_Dream
Kudos to PG for bringing up this article. Keep up the good work.
vivek_aryantcs #26 May 26, 2010, 6:44 pm
Inspiring and a driving lesson for New generation entrepreneurs.An

effective way of presenting it to the masses by PG . Keep the good
work up
#27 May 26, 2010, 7:03 pm
avantika_t
Thanks for bringing this across PG! Kudos!
#28 May 26, 2010, 7:16 pm
Aditya Agarwal aS aLWAYS……

Pg Rocks Pg Rocks n One more thing hats off to dis Dhruv Lakra…
Really we need more such people..:)
#29 May 26, 2010, 7:21 pm
prfs
PG ROCKS—–Dhruv Lakra ROCKS——Lajwanti D’souza
ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
#30 May 26, 2010, 7:31 pm
envenomed
Inspiration unmatched…
#31 May 26, 2010, 7:41 pm
wonderyears
loved it!
hats off to Dhruv Lakra..!
#32 May 26, 2010, 7:48 pm
Vaibhav
Very nice. Hats off to Dhruv Lakra…much better than those
placement reports…
#33 May 26, 2010, 8:10 pm
Pagalguy, you are so much different from other websites ! And

indianocean
people who post here so much more appreciative and encouraging.
The whole spirit behind PG and its members is simply amazing.
Kudos to everyone.
#34 May 26, 2010, 8:13 pm
Aaah I se there are others as well !! Nice. I got a small story to share
too and on a similar note. Come down to Kolkata and visit the KFC
(Kentucky Fried Chicken) at New Empire (New Market area) and
you will see similar differently abled people working there as well. I
optimism.inc
was really impressed at the time when they asked me to write a
customer feedback. There are young girls and boys who are deaf or
mute or both who work there using sign language, computer screens
and other aids. It is truly awesome to see that such people, who have
had a harsh life have come out to prove that they are no less.
Kudos…..
amitshanky #35 May 26, 2010, 8:15 pm
awesome
#36 May 26, 2010, 8:23 pm
avi_15
a very nice initiative
#37 May 26, 2010, 8:23 pm
It really feels great to see the corporate sector and India as a whole
moving towards social entrepreneurship ! Definitely a good start ….
AnIgnitedMind
miles to go ahead. In fact, the success story of such cos should
motivate B-schools to waive off fees for students going for social
entrepreneurship, a point emphasized by Dhruv in one of his
previous post..
#38 May 26, 2010, 8:32 pm
Hi – thanks for the comments. appreciate it. just to add here — mute
is not the correct way to address deaf people, its deaf. trying to
dhruv make people more aware. please follow us on twitter
@miraklecouriers, @dhruv_lakra@, mirakle_rohan.
rock on,
mirakle couriers
#39 May 26, 2010, 8:41 pm
Its a amazing initiative on Dhruv Lakra’s part to show that MBA’s

samladi
need not contribute only to corporate but also to society!! kudos!!!
Kudos to Pagalguy as well for bringing such encouraging stories to
us!!…PG u ROCK!
#40 May 26, 2010, 8:54 pm
Open_ur_mind Wonder if this can be taken up as a case study @ B- Schools.. a

humbling experience for me.
Can we have Dhruv Lakra interview as well here on PG.
#41 May 26, 2010, 8:57 pm
ya so true…dis shows dat an mba degree wont just get u money bt

trupthi
how it can also enhance ur innovative ideas of giving back to the
society…
n kudos to pg!!!:)
#42 May 26, 2010, 9:16 pm
kopal khare. excellent initiative…..!!!!

this is actually a stark combination of social responsibility n
education… kudos to Dhruv Lakra…
Richard Roehm #43 May 26, 2010, 9:19 pm
As one of the large volume ebay sellers and shippers, I say its the
envy of the deaf world to see deaf people working jobs they can do.
Shipping and delivery is a job that can easily be done by deaf
people.
#44 May 26, 2010, 9:29 pm
kapil
Very nice Initiative and very thnx to Pagalguy for sharing it.
#45 May 26, 2010, 9:42 pm
prem31jan
Superb, mindblowing, fantastic, awesome, fabulous.. Keep going
amazing artice..
#46 May 26, 2010, 10:01 pm
in_doubt
wow!!!! really inspiring!! really great job!!!!
#47 May 26, 2010, 10:03 pm
Jamiroquai
Brought tears to my eyes. Excellent coverage and reporting. The
government should incentivise this kind of social enterprise.
#48 May 26, 2010, 10:40 pm
DEVILISHANGEL
This needs to be heavily funded. Should be lesson for a lot of our B-
Schools.
#49 May 26, 2010, 10:48 pm
Uma Taneja Sahni
nice initiative by Pg and owesome work being done by
Dhruv……..goood luck to u dhruv……….ATB
#50 May 26, 2010, 10:55 pm
excellent job, really admire what lakra has done here. seeing this we
eclectic1209
should all just take a moment a realise how lucky we are to have
proper and good health, and that each of has immense potential to
do a lot.
#51 May 26, 2010, 11:04 pm
tapu
this is AWESOME! kudos
#52 May 26, 2010, 11:16 pm
MIOCHE
GR8888 INITIATIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!! HATS OFF 2 DHRUV N
MIRAKLE……..
#53 May 27, 2010, 12:29 am
Debjit
just wanna hail Mr.Dhruv for this stupendous effort.I wish you all
the best for future and GOD bless you and team Mtrakle Courier.
Subhadeep Das #54 May 27, 2010, 1:24 am
What a vision !!! WOW Dhruv , WOW …. That’s all I can say
#55 May 27, 2010, 1:55 am
Ravi Dutt This is awesome and a great balance between business and social
responsiblity; i will pass it to all my mumbai contacts with the note
to use them as often as they can
#56 May 27, 2010, 2:25 am
hai_vinu
really cool … very inspiring!
#57 May 27, 2010, 9:34 am
Truly Inspiring. It perfectly reflects what Social Entrepreneurship is

candidzishan all about. An MBA is not only about fat pay packages at the end of
the course. Its more about being responsible as an intellectual and
utilizing your knowledge for the welfare of all. All my best wishes
for Dhruv.
#58 May 27, 2010, 9:38 am
satish543 wow…Its really gud to C ppl like Dhruv venturing into dis kinda
ventures when most of d ppls main motive for doin MBA is
money….Kudos to Dhruv n all d employees of his company…..
#59 May 27, 2010, 9:48 am
sunnyonfire
finally someone stood up to know the importance of Deaf poeple in
our society….gud work Pagalguy..keep it up
#60 May 27, 2010, 9:49 am
abhinav
Great work , really inspiring
#61 May 27, 2010, 10:52 am
amit.unearthed
what a thought man…!!
I am really impressed..
#62 May 27, 2010, 10:55 am
amitabh_anandu This finally reinstates the healthy spirits..effective image make over
by PG post the placement report report debacles!
Kudos to Dhruv, you rock man..
#63 May 27, 2010, 11:27 am
a billion thanks 4 sharing this exemplary social entrepreneurship

sabornee
initiative.it’s moving to read how madhavkar goes about his work
daily with so much of zeal,enthusiasm.and hail dhruv, for leading
such a team of hard-working,dedicated professionals.
ambikagupta #64 May 27, 2010, 12:41 pm
feels good when words are transferred into action….
the great work and idea by Dhruv will surely inspire and motivate
many including me who are interested in social entrepreneurship.
#65 May 27, 2010, 1:45 pm
Avinav C Thakur
One of the best articles I read on PG. Had it bee published earlier,
would surely have nominated it for the best article
#66 May 27, 2010, 1:47 pm
aroon_maverick
kudos to MIRAKLE.. hats off the to whole team and PG as well for
reporting this!
#67 May 27, 2010, 2:46 pm
vishal_halbe
very inspiring article wish i could share this on facebook thanks
pagalguy
#68 May 27, 2010, 2:48 pm
Aditya Patil
Wonderful article. Great job PG,hope to see similiar articles in
future.
#69 May 27, 2010, 3:35 pm
bishwasjha thnx! to pagalguy for bringing such an interesting and useful piece
of information.it clearly shows that bussiness is nt just abt making
money it has a noble cause too!
#70 May 27, 2010, 4:56 pm
May God be with you Dhruv, can anyone message me his contact
Ankit Bhatia email ID, actually I also foresee a social entrepreneurship that I
want to start and hence need some tips from him.
Thanks for the help

#71 May 27, 2010, 4:57 pm
madhur0408
thanx a ton for sharing!really feels good to hear such stuff!
#72 May 27, 2010, 6:34 pm
Raghavendra
Badiger A great article. I never knew something like this ever exists. Truly a
miracle service by Mr. Dhruv.
#73 May 28, 2010, 9:11 am
ruchidalal Fantastic initiative..!!! Kudos to Dhruv for such an initiative..!

Thank u PG for sharing this with us n looking 4ward to similar
articles…
Sneha #74 May 28, 2010, 10:57 am
Its truely a miracle…..
Wudabaaa to Druv….
Hats off…
Thanks nilanjan for sharing this…
#75 May 28, 2010, 11:15 am
Sakshi Rangroo Worth appreciation!!!!!Dis way of serving society by applying

entrepreneurial skills is inspiring indeed!!!Gud luck 2 all
Mirackleites ….
#76 May 28, 2010, 4:27 pm
priyanka0410
Hats-off to Mr. Lakra
#77 May 29, 2010, 12:53 am
Amazing initiative.. It takes immense courage to start something

floydfreek
like this and what is most astonishing is how it is continuing to run
as a profitable business.. Kudos to Mr. Lakra and his ‘disabled’
staff!
#79 May 30, 2010, 12:27 am
guess_who
splendid………….
#80 May 30, 2010, 7:34 pm
wannabmanager
AMAZING!
#81 May 31, 2010, 10:32 am
SilverSurfer
A really heart warming , innovative and insanely beautiful initiative
by Mr.Lakra.ALl the very best….truly inspiring….
#82 May 31, 2010, 11:31 am
Ankur009
Business doesnot only mean profit.It was a perfect example to
expalin this.
#83 May 31, 2010, 12:16 pm
I am totally wordless after reading this article..I cant even imagine a

person can use skills of disable ppl this way .. Biggest innovation by
Mr.Lakra…. Kudos….
Pooja
Mr.Lakra’s work is an opportunity for disable ppl & example for
able ppl…
Its my humble request to all please dont let disable ppl sit @ hme &
ruin their beautiful life in one corner . Please let them go out , face
real wrld , take their own decision and live their life
#84 May 31, 2010, 12:52 pm
manisha16
Hats off to PG for enlightening us with in-depth details..Kudos to
Dhruv lakra
#85 May 31, 2010, 4:06 pm
lily007
awsome!! Kudos to Dhruv lakra

Mirakle Courier Company

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Mirakle Couriers - Courier Service Using Hearing

Impaired People (http://indianwebstartups.com/StartupDetails.aspx?

Unique Features and Our Reviews

The Mirakle in Mumbai: Life inside a social business

"I just got back from work.

I’m so Bombay now.

In the morning I usually go to the Churchgate office.

Plugging them into the market…

Plugging them into them into the Matrix.

That's what we do.

Dhruv apparently dreams in sign. I can believe it."

For the entire diary entry go to Heliopathic Creations.

The Bold Idea:

India’s deaf community.

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Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Community Improvement & Economic Development

and difficult problems? (Such as experiences, skills, events, etc.)

heart are the most important things for me.

domino affect on awareness about deafness in the society.

Floyd and Karsh Kale.

• Maximum City--Suketu Mehta

• Cave in the Snow--Tenzin Palmo

• Banker to the Poor--Muhammad Yunus

• The Last Lecture--Randy Pausch

• It’s Not About the Bike--Lance Armstrong

• The Kite Runner--Khaled Hosseini

• Complete Works of George Orwell

Which websites do you visit often (work and/or personal)?

service was joy.” - Rabindranath Tagore

January 29, 2010 · 5 Comments

Here is an updated list of clients that Mirakle Couriers currently serves:

Aditya Birla Group

Godrej & Boyce

In the last few months we have experienced a significant increase in work

Categories: Business · Marketing · News · Uncategorized

October 17, 2009 · 5 Comments

Categories: Branding · Business · Marketing

T- shirts in the house

Categories: Branding · Marketing

November 20, 2008 · Leave a Comment

Mirakle workers: Businessmen who help the disabled

Don't want complex derivatives, but enforce existing rules: SMEs

Training and communication is done in Indian sign language.

One of the outlets in Gurgaon is run by a team of eight specially-abled employees.

The sweet smell of roses

However, the ride is not smooth always.

Prison inmates turn to furniture making

Prisoners trained for 'meaty' jobs in Punjab

This week on ‘Young Turks - Ideas Without Boundaries’ log on

Also meet Dhruv Lakra who is in the business of express delivery! A

And meet Hitendra Chaturvedi, decided to start-up a logistics business,

January 19, 2010 · 2 Comments

For now, please wish me luck and wish Mirakle success

October 17, 2009 · 5 Comments

Categories: Branding · Business · Marketing

T- shirts in the house

December 3, 2008 · 2 Comments

Categories: Branding · Marketing

October 26, 2008 · 5 Comments

I have been working on the logo for a

1. should be clear that we are a courier company