Meet man who worked as successful CA, now sells Rs 10 meal on his food stall due to...; he is from...

Every afternoon near the bustling streets of Mayapuri in West Delhi, something simple yet powerful happens. Around 12 pm, a few women and a 70-year-old volunteer quietly set up a small food stall. There are no banners, no advertisements, just plates being placed and pots being opened to serve a warm, home-cooked meal.

Within 30 minutes, a crowd starts to gather. Daily wage workers, rickshaw pullers, and delivery boys line up—not to receive charity, but to buy food for just Rs 10, a small amount that gives them both a meal and a sense of dignity.

At the centre of this initiative is Sanjay Dodrajka, a 53-year-old chartered accountant. Though he had a stable corporate job after qualifying as a CA in 1996, Sanjay felt unfulfilled. In 2003, he left the corporate world to establish his own accounting firm and began engaging in social work, a passion he had long held.

After losing a close friend in an air crash in 2014, Sanjay, along with some friends, started an NGO called ‘Hamari Udaan’ in his friend’s memory. They began with health camps and school visits but later realised that providing simple, affordable food daily could make a bigger difference. This idea led to the ‘Food With Dignity’ programme.

Inspired by Acts of Kindness
Sanjay got the idea after seeing a Sikh man quietly serving tea near a hospital in Shimla and the popular ‘Dadi Ki Rasoi’ in Noida. These efforts weren’t for fame or donations—just for helping people. That deeply moved Sanjay.

Six and a half years ago, the food programme started. Except during the pandemic, it has continued daily. For just Rs 10, anyone can enjoy a hot plate of rice and curry—rajma, dal, chole, soya, or lobia. The food is cooked each morning by local women, who are paid Rs 300 for two hours of work. This setup not only feeds people but also gives respectful jobs to women.

No Office, Just Heart
‘Hamari Udaan’ doesn’t have a fancy office or big donors. Sanjay uses his own salary and gets support from a few close friends. Meals cost Rs 23–24 each, and while Rs 10 is collected from the person eating, the rest of the cost is covered by Sanjay and his supporters.

A small team manages everything. Food is cooked in Kavita’s kitchen, a local woman who also runs her own NGO. Volunteers like Azizul, a 57-year-old woman who once worked as a domestic help, and Anita, a 46-year-old mother of two, say this programme has changed their lives by giving them steady income and purpose.

The stall feeds around 220–250 people daily and wraps up by 2:30 pm. But Sanjay’s efforts don’t end there. His NGO also runs health camps, safety workshops, and school events to support children and workers across 50 government schools in Delhi.

Sanjay says, “It’s not difficult to do this. You just need trust, teamwork, and heart.” In a world often chasing speed and profit, his work is a quiet but powerful reminder that small acts of kindness can make a big difference, especially when done with love and consistency.