Mother’s Day 2023: Plates full of flavour served with hearts full of love
Meet some Delhi-based mothers who have gone all out to help their children succeed in life. As they continue to cook and overcome challenges in life, we salute their fighting spirit on International Mother’s Day (May 14).
When life handed them lemons, these mothers used them to garnish the delicacies they prepare so lovingly for Delhiites. Putting their woes on the back burner, they cook fresh and healthy home-made meals while saving money to support the education of their young ones. Some of them even feed the underprivileged children in the society. We salute their fighting spirit and will to innovate and inspire others!
Warmth of hot idlis, dosas
Not just the residents of Shalimar Bagh, but across West Delhi she’s popular as Mrs Idli. Geeta Jaiswal started selling pipping hot idli, sambhar and dosa when the pandemic hit. “Earlier, I used to run a tiffin service for outstation students, but when the lockdown happened, all those who had come from other states went back home,” recalls Jaiswal, who is a single mother and didn’t want to douse her daughter’s dreams of higher education due to lack of funds. “My daughter wanted to study Pharmacy, and I was the only earning member of the house. I thought it won’t help if I sit back at home, so I set-up this stall by the roadside and started saving from whatever money I earned. I wanted my child to get educated so that she doesn’t face the challenges like we did. Mujhe lagta hai padhne se hi koi bhi apni zindagi ko ek naye mukaam pe le jaa sakta hai; isiliye uski padhai nahi rukne di maine though that meant I had to be on the road and expose myself to all sorts of hurdles that a single woman usually faces whenever she tries to work,” adds Jaiswal. Today, she earns ₹2,000 to ₹3,000 per day, and from that manages to sustain her family of four that includes her daughter, elder sister and mother-in-law. “When I see my daughter going to college everyday, I feel all the hard work is worth it.”
Rajma Chawal wali didi
Riding a moped, Asha Gupta serves rajma chawal, paneer chawal and kadhi chawal in Shastri Nagar, which has made her acquire the epithet of — Moped wali rajma chawal didi. Behind her strong demeanour is a mother fighting all odds to support her family of four including two sons and her husband. “I used to sell gotta-patti at a weekly market that would set-up in my neighbourhood. But after weekly markets were discontinued to avoid the spread of Covid, I had nothing to do. Soon after my husband met with an accident. Six to seven months toh maine bacchon ke saath saath unki bhi dekh bhaal kari,” recounts Gupta, sharing how she then decided to test the waters with her cooking skills and made use of her husband’s old moped to create a moving cart to sell the food. “Apne chhote bete ke naam par maine yeh stall shuru kiya tha, Abhay de Special. Uske baad se sab luck ke bharose chala hai. Shururat kuch khaas nahi thi, but ab lag raha hai ki bacchon ko palne ke liye kiya hua kaam kabhi galat nahi ho sakta shayad isiliye mujhe se izzat mil rahi hai aur log mujhe pehechante hain jab bhi mai bahar nikalti hun,” she adds.
Mum on a mission
Spreading Apnapan not only to her children but also for the underprivileged children in the society, Sarita Kashyap is a single mother who firmly believes that warmth multiplies when shared with others. “When I had left my job as an automobile salesperson to start this stall as an act of kindness for the kids, my daughter was the one who supported me... I used to wake up at 4am to prepare rajma chawal and head out for the special delivery of smiles near the Peeragarhi Bus Station,” adds Kashyap. Soon this stall became a source of income that supported her family, but this mum with a mission has now plans to work for a bigger cause. She shares, “I am working on the idea to supply home-made food to unemployed women. It’s a way to encourage other mothers to set up their stalls, which will function on the same lines as mine. It will give a sense of fulfilment to me to see more and more women feeding the hungry while being able to earn a living for themselves.”
Author tweets @maisha_scribbles