After being fired from his previous job, Karan and Amrita started selling rajma and kadhi chawal on Delhi streets. Watch how they went from living in a car to earning a stable income.
It is a usual busy morning.
Karan and Amrita’s Alto is packed with the day’s stock of rajma (kidney beans) and kadhi chawal (curd curry with rice). They are heading to park it at their favourite spot — the junction of Talkatora Stadium in Delhi.
As soon as they park their car and open ‘Amrita ji ke special Rajma Chawal’ (Amrita’s special kidney beans rice), swarms of people surround them and it is business as usual.
However, the couple experienced their share of hardship before their food business tasted success.
Karan was fired from his previous job as a driver, and the couple became homeless overnight. He recalls, “They [employers] asked us to leave the house [they gave him] in a day or that they would throw our things out.”
After this incident, the couple had to spend two months wandering the streets of Delhi, using public toilets and eating at langars. Karan requested Amrita to stay at her father’s home, but she refused to leave his side in times of adversity.
Eventually, they sold their furniture and took Amrita’s parents’ help to start a small food business out of their car — an Alto. The business soon gained traction when a food enthusiast featured them in a video.
“We started by making a profit of Rs 320 per day, which gradually increased to Rs 450 and then Rs 600,” says Karan. Today the couple earns a stable income of Rs 60,000 a month. Their food plates cost anywhere between Rs 30 and Rs 50 per plate.
The couple says that their initial challenging days brought them closer together, and now their relationship is stronger than ever.
Find more about their journey here:
Edited by Pranita Bhat