I was widowed at a very young age and had a one-month-old son to take care of. One day I visited a park in Lahore where I saw women with their stalls of samosas, pakoras, and various other items, and I instantly realised that I could put up a stall as well.

I also noticed that none of the stalls had ‘sarson ka saag’ and ‘makki ki roti’, so I decided to set up a stall at the park to serve freshly made saag alongside ‘makki roti’, butter, and ‘achaar’. Right from washing the leaves to cutting them to making ‘saag’ and ‘roti’, I do everything myself. I can proudly say that I have never received a complaint about the food throughout my life.

It has been almost 30 years since I started my business. I have worked in Lahore at Racecourse Park and Fortress Stadium, among other parks. When I used to work in Lahore, event organisers would approach me to set up my stall at their exhibitions; that is how I started receiving more work and popularity. Later, I relocated to Islamabad and set up stalls at several exhibitions, including at Lok Virsa.

It brings me great pride that Parvez Musharraf tried my food and awarded me Rs20,000. I was able to raise my son and get him an education with the money I made and also used it to marry my son, nieces, and nephews.

I built a bigger shop with time and expanded my menu; it is still not extensive, but it caters to more people now. However, I have a loyal customer base for ‘saag’ and ‘makki roti’, people who regularly place their orders ahead of time.

I am grateful to have had a positive experience with my business. I would recommend women start their food ventures. With this business, I have been able to take care of myself and haven’t ever felt the need to ask for loans. At this point, I am so used to coming here that on the days that I am not able to, I feel unhappy.

Published in Dawn, December 18th, 2023