US based techie returns to India to sell Rajma Chawal, Soya Chaap and more; viral video sparks debate

NEW DELHI: After more than a decade in tech, including a stint in New York, Maninder Singh has swapped lines of code for plates of Indian cuisines. Singh, who once worked in the US IT sector, now runs a modest food stall in Punjab’s Mohali. His journey, recently featured in a viral Instagram video by food content platform ‘Foodler’, has sparked widespread discussion — not just about career choices but about how India perceives work and dignity. In the video, Singh stands in front of his stall, speaking calmly about leaving his IT career behind. “I’ve worked in retail, call centres, tech — everything. I spent over three years in New York,” he says. After returning home following the death of his father, Singh decided to start afresh — but not in a corporate role. Instead, he found inspiration closer to home — in his wife’s cooking. “She’s a brilliant cook. So I thought, why not build something around her skills?” Singh explains. His small venture has been drawing steady crowds and, thanks to the video, even more curiosity online.His story has reignited conversations around how success is defined — and who gets to define it. For Singh, it seems, fulfilment now comes not from office cabins or overseas paychecks, but from the steady sizzle of a street-side kadhai.