Amid our busy schedules, many of us often tend to overlook the small acts of kindness we experience around us. We move on with our lives without acknowledging the good Samaritans who are trying their best to make life easier for those not known to them. Sarita Kashyap, a 42-year-old from Paschim Vihar, is one such person who has been actively working to help those in need.
Her food venture, Apnaapann Rajma Chawal—a makeshift stall created from her daughter’s study table, which is mounted on the back of her two-wheeler—also feeds hundreds of hungry children, ragpickers, and the homeless. Waking up at five in the morning every day to prepare food, Kashyap, who manages her stall single-handedly, rides to Peera Garhi at about 11:30am. She is stationed at this West Delhi neighbourhood—her stall has become quite popular here—till about five in the evening or until she manages to empty her containers.
Looking for a purpose
In 2019, Kashyap left her job as an automobile salesperson, “I wasn’t motivated in my job anymore. I needed an aim; I wanted to make a difference.” Always in the habit of distributing leftovers among people in and around her locality, Kashyap realised that she needed to do more than that to give back to society. After feeding a handful of children who did not have enough money to buy food, the single mother was certain that her food venture could fulfil the purpose she needed in life. “Making rajma chawal (kidney beans curry with rice) has always been my forte. Moreover, it is a wholesome, nutritious meal on a budget,” she says.
Known for her benevolence
Selling rajma chawal with raita (an Indian condiment) at a nominal price of Rs 40 for half plate and Rs 60 (full plate) to customers, Kashyap also feeds a number of hungry children from the local slums. Fondly known as ‘Aunty’s stall’, a major part of the income she receives from her venture goes to feeding the needy. Kashyap also tries to advocate awareness among the children who frequent her place, by asking them to attend school or work instead of begging.
She recounts a time when she had been moved by one of the local children: “It was a Saturday, and a small child was begging in the name of Shani devta. When he came to me to ask for food, I told him I would only give it to him if he stopped begging. I was amazed when he immediately threw away the plate he was carrying despite it having the image of a god, and he promised that he would not beg again.”
Kashyap mentions that while it is difficult for her to make ends meet through her stall, she has never been happier. “All the people in Peera Garhi’s locality know me by now. Even when I pass the place without my Scooty, the children rush to greet me, and ask me when I’ll be back again,” she concludes.
Making a small change
Fondly known as ‘Aunty’s stall’, a major part of the income Sarita Kashyap receives from her food stall goes to feeding hungry children, ragpickers, as well as the homeless near West Delhi’s Peera Garhi.