From earning a living to giving back: How an Instamart delivery partner is supporting her community in Dibrugarh
Chennai: When Bonita Das completed Class 12 in Dibrugarh, she set out to find financial independence. Like many young adults, she initially found herself constrained by roles that required rigid schedules and low fixed-hour pay. Seeking a way to earn on her own terms, Bonita joined Instamart as one of its first delivery partners when the service launched in Dibrugarh in May 2026. The shift redefined her daily routine. By choosing her own hours, Bonita nearly tripled her income while taking control of her schedule, gaining both financial independence and the flexibility needed to support her family.
Pooling a few months of savings alongside her brother, Bonita contributed significantly to building her family’s home while setting aside funds to pursue her long-term dream: opening her own bakery in Dibrugarh specializing in cakes and pastries.
Speaking about her decision, Bonita said, “After passing my 12th standard, I took up a few full-time jobs, but the income wasn’t enough even after putting nearly 8-9 hours into the shift. I prefer delivery work because there is flexibility. I am my own boss. I can decide when I want to work and take a leave when I need to. For me, being able to manage my work on my own terms is very important.”
For her, flexibility is about more than choosing when she works. It gives her the freedom to earn a livelihood while being there for her family when they need her, and to contribute to their wellbeing on her own terms. For someone who wants to balance earning with responsibilities at home, the ability to decide when to work and when to take a day off is important. At the same time, it also gives her the opportunity to hone her baking skills further.
Recently, the flexibility that helps Bonita manage her own life also gave her the opportunity to step up for her wider community. Having grown up near a riverbank where her family endured severe flooding between 2013 and 2015, Bonita recognized the immediate vulnerability of the affected communities. Her family’s elevated home was largely protected during the recent floods. But watching other families face the uncertainty she remembered from her own childhood made it difficult for her to simply carry on with her day. Refusing to remain a bystander, she stepped forward to support and help people in the impacted community. What began as a personal effort to support families affected by the floods grew into a larger initiative, with her reaching out, mobilising support and doing what she could to help those around her. She initiated a crowdfunding drive among her fellow delivery partners, setting a low entry barrier of ₹50 so that anyone could participate regardless of their means.
Recognizing their initiative, Instamart topped up the funds alongside Bonita and her peers. Together, they worked with a local NGO to procure essential groceries, including rice, dal, milk, oil, and vegetables and helped assemble and distribute 500 relief packages directly to affected families across villages in Sivasagar.
“I have lived through floods myself, so I know what families are going through. When I saw so many people affected, I felt I could not just stand by. I may be a delivery partner, but I believe we all have the power to make a difference when we come together,” says Bonita Das, Delivery Partner, Instamart.
For Bonita, the experience has been a reflection of what financial independence can make possible, not just the ability to take care of oneself, make her own choices and the confidence to turn those choices into something meaningful for the people around her.
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