: Entrepreneur With Down Syndrome Shares How She Started a Health Drink Biz From Scratch #IndiaNEWS #Inspirational Swasti Mehta, a resident of Mumbai, took the proverbial ‘when life gives you lemons,

Entrepreneur With Down Syndrome Shares How She Started a Health Drink Biz From Scratch #IndiaNEWS #Inspirational
Swasti Mehta, a resident of Mumbai, took the proverbial ‘when life gives you lemons, make lemonade’ too seriously and decided to make Pudina Punch with the lemons that life threw her way.
A bonafide entrepreneur, Swasti is a 27-year-old born with Down Syndrome. A very busy Swasti, speaking to The Better India, says, “I wake up at 10 am and almost immediately start working on making the punch. I do that until 2 pm when I take a break for lunch. �?
She adds, “When I am done with my work for the day, I wind down by watching Taarak Mehta ka Oolta Chashma. I enjoy that show. �?
Swasti Mehta
Swasti, who found her calling during the first lockdown in March 2020 says she has never been busier. Having started with selling one or two bottles a day, today, Swasti gets more than 20 orders a day.
Swasti is thrilled with the work she is doing and her mother, Darshana Mehta, couldn’t be prouder. “Having worried about how Swasti would cope in the real world, to see her do this completely on her own put me at ease. I cannot begin to describe the emotions that surge through me. �?
A Mother’s Perseverance to See Her Daughter Succeed
Swasti with her family.
“The early intervention that we started when Swasti was just a few months old helped her a great deal. Swasti was always a very active baby and other than the Down Syndrome condition, she had no other ailments. That was a huge plus for Swasti,�? says Darshana.
Swasti started with occupational and speech therapy early and Darshana believes that all of that helped her immensely.
She continues, “There are parents who self-declare that having a child with Down Syndrome means it is the ‘end of the world’. There is so much potential these children have. As parents, we just have to be patient to find and nurture their interests. �?

In an attempt to help her build her social skills and also interact with others her age, Swasti was enrolled in Dilkhush Special school when she turned five. “Being in the school did wonders for Swasti. She picked up four languages – English, Marathi, Hindi and Gujarati and found ways to interact with people and peers. Swasti spent six years at Dilkush school after which she was homeschooled. “I was told that academics would not be easy for Swasti and the only way forward was to work on her vocational skills,�? says Darshana.
It was disappointing for Darshana to be told that but she did not give up on Swasti.
“I continued to find ways to help her academically as well. I am happy with the progress that she has made,�? she adds.
The various stages of making the Pudina Punch.
Darshana relied on the Glenn Doman method, which believes that children with Down Syndrome can thrive cognitively, physically and socially.