In a small stall in the city’s heart, a single mother, a university graduate, is serving dumplings by day and studying for India’s toughest civil service exam by night
Suhail Khan
SRINAGAR, JAN 22 : By mid-morning, the steam is already rising from the small aluminium vessel, curling into the sharp winter air. Beneath a faded tarpaulin stretched over a modest pushcart, deft fingers pinch and fold dough into neat half-moons, filling each with a spoonful of spiced mince. The “momo girl,” as her regulars fondly call her, is in her usual spot in the summer capital city Srinagar, a study in quiet focus amid the city’s hum.
But this is no ordinary street vendor. By dusk, when the last customer has gone and the stall is cleaned, she will swap her apron for textbooks, poring over political science and current affairs. Her goal: to crack the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination, one of the world’s most competitive and gruelling entry tests for India’s civil services. And all while raising two young children alone.
“It is all by Allah’s will, by His grace, that I have this courage,” she told Kashmir Convener, requesting anonymity to protect her family’s privacy. “When Allah gives someone courage, no one can snatch it away.”
Her story, shared widely on social media after the local interview, has resonated as an unlikely parable of resilience in a Kashmir often defined by political tension. Here is a woman holding a master’s degree in English, who could not find secure employment, turning to street food vending not out of sheer desperation, but as a deliberate choice for dignified self-reliance.
“It’s not that we had nothing to eat,” she explained. “But to secure the future of my children, I took this step to earn for them with dignity rather than choosing to beg. No one should feel ashamed of earning their rightful livelihood in a lawful way.”
Her day is a meticulously managed marathon. It begins before dawn with preparation for the stall. By 3:30pm, she is home, attending to her children – helping with homework, preparing meals. Evenings are for prepping for the next day’s sales, and in the slivers of time in between, she studies.
“In between, I manage to take out a little time for my studies,” she said, her tone matter-of-fact. The UPSC syllabus is vast, covering history, geography, economics, and governance. For many aspirants, it demands years of monastic dedication. She is tackling it in fragments, between batches of dumplings.
Her motivation burns on two fronts: her children’s future and her own deferred professional dream. “For their safe future, I am working… so they face no obstacles in their studies,” she said. “In their bright future, may my children bring glory to our country, India.” She paused, then added: “I am also taking time to reach my goal, which is to crack the civil services.”
There is a quiet defiance in her endeavour. “I want to prove wrong those who left me alone,” she stated. “I took a stand to prove my worth through hard work—that nothing is impossible.” Her aim, she said, is to reach a level “where everyone thinks, ‘If she can, why can’t I?’”
The path she has chosen is strewn with social and practical hurdles. Single motherhood in conservative Kashmir carries a stigma, and street vending is a physically demanding, financially precarious trade. Yet, she speaks of a profound faith that underpins her resolve.
She credits that faith for her start, recalling she began the business without a single coin. “One should believe in Allah’s plans; He has the best plans for everyone.”
“Courage elevates a person’s spirit all the way to achieving success.” This courage, she believes, must be coupled with parental responsibility. She urged a balance between religious and worldly education, arguing that guidance is the strongest bulwark against social ills.
“Keeping the current situation in mind—how our children are getting involved in drugs and other social evils—it is because of parents. We have a responsibility to steer our children toward the positive, right direction.”
She represents a generation of educated Kashmiri youth, particularly women, navigating a tight job market and complex social expectations. Her choice of the UPSC is significant – it is a pursuit of a role in the very architecture of the Indian state, an aspiration toward agency and service.
