Hindu, Christian women set up delicious food stalls in Karachi

In Karachi’s diverse cultural scene, Hindu and Christian women running food stalls at the Civil Lines area exemplify not only women empowerment but also religious harmony as families from all backgrounds enjoy delicious food on the roadside.

Kavita, a Hindu woman running a food cart for seven months, said she hails from a Gujarati family.

According to Kavita, she graduated from the University of Karachi. Initially, she was reluctant to start her own business, it took time for her to be convinced. Now, her entire family supports her in running the food cart.

She highlighted her menu's specialties like vada pav, pav bhaji, samosas, and french fries.

Alongside Kavita’s stall, her sister, Nomita Jitendra runs a barbecue stall offering prawns and chicken kebabs. 

Explaining the reason for offering non-veg items at the stall, Nomita said, "We have started this so that people who eat non-veg can also come here, there are people in the Hindu community who eat non-veg while our customers include people from Parsi and Christian community and we have to cater to them as well".

Ruth Mary, known for her "Mary Aunty's” stall, serves hot parathas from a small cart. She previously worked as a private chef, but her position ended when the family she worked for relocated overseas.

Now, with the support of her husband and children, she is considering expanding her menu beyond the delicious hot parathas that have made her stall famous.

Mary said that she feels blessed to have such a peaceful environment, saying, “Even when I am feeling drained, working at the cart makes me forget all my worries".