Siblings dish out home-cooked meals to protesters in Khanna

Mohit Khanna

Patiala, February 20

As tensions mount at the Shambhu border due to the ongoing ‘Dilli Chalo’ agitation by farmers, a heartening story is seen unfolding just 30 km away at Mohanpur village near Khanna.

Two brothers, Manpreet Singh and Jaspreet, are providing affordable food to commuters along National Highway-44 in Fatehgarh Sahib from their SUV-turned-mobile kitchen.

For the past few months, the siblings have been running their afternoon kitchen from an SUV parked on the highway, drawing the attention of farmers en route to the Shambhu border protest.

Displayed on their SUV — named Fortuner Restaurant — is a simple yet profound message: “No work is big or small. The thing which is small or big is your mindset”.

While Jaspreet handles the task of making ‘makki ki roti’, Manpreet serves food, which includes home-cooked ‘sarson ka saag’, ‘dal’ and ‘kadi chawal’, to their customers. However, their mission extends beyond just serving meals. Manpreet emphasises the need to change the mindset of Punjab’s youth, advocating seeking alternative avenues rather than blindly aspiring for migration to countries like Canada.

“We have to form village-level committees, discourage petty political interference and financially empower each other,” Manpreet stated, highlighting the importance of community development and self-sufficiency.

Their unique venture has attracted the curiosity of farmers on their way to the Shambhu border. Many stop over and inquire if they have resorted to selling food due to the burden of loan payments for the expensive SUV.

“We reassure them that we lead comfortable lives. We have existing shops and businesses in the village and sell food during the afternoon to earn extra income,” explained Jaspreet, the younger of the two brothers.