Meena Thakur is a thirty year old mother of two, who has been living in Khurkot, Sindhuli for sixteen years. She originally moved into the area for the good educational opportunities it offered her children and also felt the natural environment which surrounds the town would help her family’s health.
Meena has always looked for new opportunities. She first opened a family-run barbershop in Khurkot with her brother. However, even though this was successful – her brother still runs the shop to this day – she wanted something of her own.
During the construction of the BP highway, which runs through Sindhuli, Meena was employed as a cook, helping to cater for the construction workers. Meena found that she not only enjoyed catering but was also very good at it:
“It was during this time I realized I could start my own catering business. When the road opens, more visitors would come to Khurkot or travel through. It was going to open up a lot more business opportunities, so I decided to try.”
This smart thinking made the most of an upcoming opportunity. Meena set up a stall in Khurkot town centre and filled it with the tastiest Nepali street food including samosas, jerry, pakoda and pahni puri. Every Sunday she takes her cart to the local market and business was soon going well. She says, “business is good, and the local people are very helpful and supportive.”
Meena is very happy with how things are going right now and doesn’t have any specific plans to expand in the future. However, that doesn’t mean things won’t change. She says, “I have no plans right now, but an opportunity might come up. I’m not afraid to take chances.”
Sindhuli 