“If there’s one thing I’ve learnt in life so far it’s that women have to know to earn money even if they choose to be housewives. Now, independence in terms of finance can come later but it’s better to learn how to survive in case things don’t go per plan. Take it from a wife who’s been working for over thirty five years now- being able to fend for oneself is the best feeling ever. Of course, mine did stem out of necessity but there’s at least a satisfaction that I’ve been able to keep the show up and running for my kids regardless of the hurdles.

It all started when I came to Hyderabad from my village at all of eleven. Education seemed a far-fetched luxury and
I got married when I was a teenager to a person whom I loved and that was the best decision ever. He was extremely supportive and never said no to my choices to date. Even though we didn’t have stable jobs, we always supported each other. He used to work as security in an apartment and I, as domestic help.
However, things went down south when he suffered from a major health issue and stopped working.
But I never lost trust in him because he’s my soulmate. I had asked him to take a break from work and spend some time in the village which he agreed. But destiny had other plans. He passed away 19 years ago and ever since I had to struggle on my own along with my kids. That’s when I decided to step up to share the family responsibilities along with my husband. I was naturally good with cooking so I thought of starting a small roadside food stall on my own. I saved up a small amount and went ahead with my idea of starting pucca Telangana home-cooked food stall here at Banjara Hills 3 and there’s no looking back ever since.

People like my Dal rice, Gobi curry, Boti Curry, Chicken curry a lot alongside other veg curries and sambar. It takes at least three and a half hours to cook all the dishes. I reach here by 11:30 am and serve my customers till 4:30 pm.

Customers from all backgrounds such as software employees, auto drivers, daily wagers, working women and also families come to taste my food. I serve both veg and non-veg meals and one can relish the food until they feel full.”