Customers eat their meal in a make-shift shed under a blue tarpaulin balanced on bamboo poles. Located on the main road, the food cart attracts a steady stream of regular as well as occasional customers.

Bhagya’s home is a short distance from her stall. She lives with her 16-year-old son and mother. Bhagya initially worked in a garment factory and later started cooking at a local hospital. When the hospital shut down, she decided to become an entrepreneur and set up her own food cart with the loan from Samasta. When her husband passed away suddenly a year ago, Bhagya was determined to manage on her own without depending on relatives and friends.

Most of the food served is cooked at home and brought to the cart on her scooter. She closes shop around 4.30 p.m. after the lunch crowd has slowly dispersed. She has very little food leftover at the end of the day, she proudly says with a smile. Bhagya has plans to start her own hotel.