“My husband used to say ‘If you can help someone in some way, you should’," shares 88-year-old Usha Gupta as she reminisces about her husband, who passed away due to COVID-19 in May last year.
Grieving his absence, a resolute Gupta decided to follow her instincts and help others affected during the second wave of the pandemic. To do so, the resident of Sarita Vihar launched ‘Pickled With Love’, a small business she set up in July last year with the help of her grandchildren.
The proceeds of this venture go to ‘Every Infant Matters’, an NGO that provides health solutions to children and women.
Of passion and grit
Gupta and her husband tested positive for COVID-19 in April, 2021. “Both of us were admitted to a hospital. After three weeks of being there, my husband passed away and I was left alone,” says Gupta, who is a native of Lucknow.
The second wave of COVID-19 proved to be one of the most distressing times in the country. “At that time, many people were suffering. I kept hearing stories of people’s helplessness. Having gone through the pain of losing someone myself, I wanted to do something about it. I asked my children to take some money from my savings and donate it to COVID relief, but they refused to take money from me,” she says. In response, Gupta’s family encouraged her to make achaar (pickles) to raise funds for those in need.
“My children arranged the things required to pack as well as deliver the achaar, and I started preparing it,” she adds.
Be it ordering fresh mangoes or preparing the requisite masalas [spices], Gupta worked tirelessly. Within the first month, she received orders for about 200 bottles of pickles. “With time, orders kept increasing and we were able to procure meals for about 65,000 people,” shares Gupta.
Driven by love
Among the most-pressing challenges that Gupta faces in her venture are her health issues associated with ageing. “In the first month, I took painkillers daily for 15 days to complete the orders,” she says. However, her zeal to help people and her love for cooking keeps her going.
“‘Pickled With Love’ has received a lot of love. We have also been able to help a number of causes. A number of causes have been supported by the proceeds from nani’s (maternal grandmother) pickles”, says Gupta’s granddaughter, Dr Radhika Batra, a neo-natologist who also runs the NGO Every Infant Matters.
After a hiatus—she had returned to Lucknow for a few months—Gupta is now back to making pickles.
“These days, I am making a mixed achaar of gajar [carrot], shalgam [turnip], and mooli [radish] and nimbu [lemon] ka achaar,” shares Gupta, who is also an author of a cookbook.
“My husband always said ‘Jo kaam karo, acche se karo [Whatever you do, pursue it with perfection]’ and I am just trying to abide by that,’ she concludes.