Some people spend a lifetime searching for their purpose. For Kajuli Biswas, it arrived in the form of an empty stomach. Every afternoon, as she walked through the streets of Katwa in West Bengal, she saw people sitting on pavements, railway platforms and roadside corners, waiting for food. The sight disturbed her deeply, not because she was seeing poverty for the first time, but because she had lived it herself.As per The Better India and some media sources, Kajuli cooks and serves food to nearly 100 people every day. She has become known locally as a woman who refuses to let anyone go hungry. But the road that brought her here cost her almost everything, including her marriage.
6 May 2026 | 16:56
What are the three things that make you instantly happy?
The woman many now call an “Annapurna” was once a young girl who knew hunger better than hope.
A childhood marked by hunger
Kajuli was born into a poor family in West Bengal. There were days when one meal had to last the entire day. If lunch was available, dinner often wasn’t. The memory of those hungry days never left her.While other children worried about school examinations or games, Kajuli learned early how poverty could shape every decision in life. Hunger was not a temporary problem. It was a daily reality. Those experiences stayed with her long after childhood. Years later, when she would see a hungry person sitting on a roadside, she did not see a stranger. She saw herself.
Married at 15, the problems didn’t stop
Image Courtesy: Facebook/kajuli.biswas.401115
Poverty brought another difficult turn. At the age of just 15, Kajuli was married. Like many girls from financially struggling families, marriage seemed to be the only option. She hoped her new life would be different. Perhaps life would finally become easier. But the dreams she carried into marriage slowly faded. According to Kajuli, she continued to face struggles inside her home. Even food became a reason for arguments and taunts. The pain of scarcity followed her into adulthood.Yet the suffering she had experienced also made her sensitive to the pain of others. Every time she saw people sleeping hungry on the streets, she remembered the child she once was.
The decision that changed everything
Kajuli Biswas feeds nearly 100 people every day.
One day, Kajuli made a decision that would alter the course of her life. She wanted to feed hungry people. It was not a large social project. There was no organisation, no funding and no supporters waiting to help. It was simply a woman deciding that nobody around her should sleep hungry if she could help it.When she shared the idea at home, she reportedly faced an impossible choice, reports The Better India. She was told to choose between her family life and feeding people on the streets. “Either stay with me or feed the people on the roads,” was the choice placed before her. Kajuli made her decision. She chose the hungry.
Starting again with a pair of earrings
Kajuli sold her earrings to raise money. The jewellery became the first investment in her mission. With her son beside her, she moved into a rented home and began cooking meals for people she did not know. There was no guarantee that she would succeed. There was no assurance that anyone would support her. Yet she continued.The early days were filled with uncertainty. Money was limited. Resources were few. Every meal required effort, planning and sacrifice. But Kajuli refused to stop.
Working hard so others can eat
Image Courtesy: Facebook/kajuli.biswas.401115
Feeding people every day requires money, and Kajuli had very little. She began working hard to earn whatever she could. The income she generated was used not only for her own survival but also to continue cooking meals for others. Slowly, her work began touching people. Residents noticed her dedication. People saw that she was not doing this for publicity or recognition. Today, several people have started supporting her work in different ways. Some contribute food ingredients. Others offer financial help. Many simply stand beside her and encourage her efforts. Feeding nearly 100 people every dayFor the people waiting on the streets, Kajuli’s arrival often means the day’s most important meal. She cooks and feeds nearly 100 people each day. Kajuli knows something many of us forget: food is about more than hunger. It is about care, too. The woman who once worried about her own next meal now spends her days ensuring that others do not experience the same fear. Her journey is especially remarkable because she began with almost nothing.
More than just food
Despite the recognition she is receiving, Kajuli believes her work is far from complete. Her next dream is even bigger. She wants to build an orphanage and create a safe space for people in need. Those who know her story understand that she has never allowed circumstances to decide what is possible.In a world where success is often measured by wealth, position or status, Kajuli Biswas offers a different definition. Her achievements cannot be counted in bank balances or awards. They can be seen in the plates of food she serves. They can be heard in the gratitude of people who no longer sleep hungry.Every meal she prepares is also a quiet reminder that kindness does not always require abundance; sometimes it begins with one difficult choice, one act of courage and the willingness to put someone else’s hunger before your own. That is the legacy Kajuli continues to build, one plate at a time.