She is known as the "Kulche wali aunty" among college kids. What's interesting is that Kulche wali aunty is a 30-something post-graduate who quit her job as a school teacher to start her matar-kulche stall about 15 days back.
Meet Urvashi Singh, who decided to start her own food stall after her husband was left bed-ridden as a result of a road accident. Her father-in-law had passed away recently. The Singh family was struggling to make ends meet, with a bunch of liabilities such as EMIs, school fees of their children and saving up for her husband’s hip bone replacement surgery.
“I was not sure that he will ever be able to work or even walk after his surgery. I could not have continued with the paltry salary I used to get as a teacher and had to take responsibility,” added Urvashi.
She did realise that a restaurant would need a lot of investment but decided to continue anyway, keeping the situation at home in mind. To her, it was the only solution.
“I always dreamt of opening a fine dining restaurant in the city but could never really take the first step," said Urvashi. "Thankfully, the circumstances in my life forced me to take a step towards my goal. And I've been getting a good response. I earn more than I used to at my job as a teacher.”
On the second day of opening the stall, Urvashi and her assistant were so exhausted that they could not take their cart to the market. They stopped midway, under a peepal tree near Sector 14, on MG Road, to catch some breath. And that became the very spot where she would place her cart every day!
“My inspiration is Colonel Sanders of KFC, a man who started at the age of 65 and failed a thousand times before tasting success. My dream is to convert this kiosk into a restaurant someday,” she said.
But is running a kiosk in this dusty, hot city easy?
Far from it, actually. The neighbouring kiosks and vendors gave her a tough time initially. She continued anyway. Now, they don't say a thing.
“The scorching heat, blaring horns, smoke bellowing trucks, frantic autos, pedestrians coupled with bikes, cycles on the busy road are too much to take after a while. But I won't let these small things shift my focus. The more challenges I face, the more I will rise to the occasion and tackle them head on. I will not let anything come in my way," said Urvashi, flashing that infectious smile of hers.
May the force be with you, Urvashi!
