Well, it was a regular Wednesday evening where I was coming back from office while brooding about how to survive the rest of the two days before weekend, was having a Whatsapp fight of sorts with a friend, and was feeling ‘meh’ remembering that the Wi-Fi at home wasn’t working. Well, that was when I walked into Cafe ICanFlyy.

A brand new cafe with a brand new concept, tucked neatly in a lane beside the Maddox Square, Kolkata, Cafe ICanFlyy is a Cafe run by Special Needs Individuals. Before I entered the place, I was very curious to find out how it is different from regular cafes. As I entered and took a seat, I was greeted with a warm, big smile and was handed over the menu. I looked around to find the quirkiest chairs ever, a great collection of board games, happy messages written all over the walls and yes, a burst of colours and good vibes.

Soon I was joined by Preeyam, the co-founder of the cafe, along with her friend. As our conversations meandered through a hundred random topics, the orders at the table were attended to and served efficiently with a generous dose of smile, every time. The food was really good, specially the BBQ Spicy Chicken Poppers and the Brownie, but its the positivity that this place emanates that made me fall in love with this place. A solid team of honest and energetic Special Needs Individuals are at the helm of the cafe, and it is heart-warming to see how brilliant they are at what they do. We absolutely need to have more such establishments with safe working environments, where individuals with special needs can work, be empowered and spread a million smiles.

Here’s a glimpse of how things work around the place. Also, they host board game matches, karaoke nights, and open mics. When I walked out of the cafe, all the stress of the day had melted away in oblivion and all I had was a smile on my face. Happiness is indeed infectious!

Note: It is closed on Mondays.