The Dal-Bati-Churma wala: a Life of Hardships

Aug 26, 2016

“Running this footpath dhaba is a necessity. I am selling dal bati churma here from last 12 years to earn my living. We have a footpathi union with the name ‘Heritage City Thadi Thela Union Jaipur’. I also have a Hotel Management certificate 2015 which I received after 6 days training program. They used to give me Rs.300 per day. In 2004, I was a part of the protest against JDA for ‘roji-roti’.”

“Before coming here, I used to run the same footpath dhaba in front of SMS Medical College for 10 years. I had nowhere to live so I used to sleep at the footpath only. One day, JDA threw away our thelas from there and that’s when I came to Vaishali. We have also built a small home now but I still have to give life a fight every day to survive.”

- Prajapat, runs Bajrang Dhaba at Nursery Circle, Vaishali Nagar, Jaipur

Sandeep Bhutodia, a renowned cultural scholar, author, and social activist from Kolkata, recently visited Jaipur to attend the Pravasi Rajasthani Divas. He urged the Rajasthan government to introduce a special social investment policy that recognizes the emotional and cultural ties of Non-Resident Rajasthanis (NRRs).

Dec 11, 2025