10-year-old Sikh boy runs food cart after father's death; Anand Mahindra, others offer help

New Delhi: A viral video of 10-year-old Jaspreet Singh, who sells rolls for a living after losing his father, has caught the attention of business tycoon Anand Mahindra and political leaders who have come forward to support him.

While Mahindra promised to support the boy's education, AAP MLA Jarnail Singh promised to provide him a new cart and local BJP leader Rajiv Babbar offered to bear all expenses of Jaspreet and his sister Taranpreet Kaur till class 12.

Courage, thy name is Jaspreet.

But his education shouldn’t suffer.

I believe, he’s in Tilak Nagar, Delhi. If anyone has access to his contact number please do share it.

The Mahindra foundation team will explore how we can support his education.

pic.twitter.com/MkYpJmvlPG

— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) May 6, 2024

Jaspreet and his sister have been living with their aunt as their mother decided to leave for her hometown in Punjab.

The now-viral video was originally shared by food vlogger Sarabjeet Singh a week ago. It showed how Jaspreet took on the responsibility of running the food cart with his 19-year-old cousin Gurmukh Singh after losing his father to brain tuberculosis last month.

From struggling to find takers of what he believes are the "yummiest rolls" in west Delhi's Tilak Nagar market to being swarmed by customers and mediapersons on Monday, things changed almost overnight for Jaspreet.

Still trying to make sense of the sudden adulation coming his way, Jaspreet told PTI that he aspires to become a police officer.

"I am elated. I am shocked. There is love and support pouring in from every corner. Everyone in my school, my teachers and friends also want to come to my cart now. I hope it stays like this only. My aim is to become a police officer when I grow up," he said.

Singh's popularity is also reflecting in his earnings.

Over the last few days, Jaspreet and Gurmukh have been earning Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,000 every day.

This is a significant increase from the meagre Rs 400 that they were making before the video went viral, Gurmukh said.

"The sales have improved drastically. We expect them to increase further with so many people supporting us. After the death of my mamu (Jaspreet's father), I decided that no matter what, I will stand by Jaspreet and look after him. It makes me emotional to see that so many people want to help and support Jaspreet," he said.

Jaspreet and Gurmukh sell a variety of rolls, including chicken, paneer and seekh kebab.

Jaspreet's personal favourite is the seekh kebab roll.

"He just loves the seekh kebab roll and makes it a point to eat at least one a day," Gurmukh said.

Jaspreet's video has now clocked over a million views on different social media platforms.

Sharing the video on X, Anand Mahindra said, "Courage, thy name is Jaspreet. But his education shouldn't. I believe he's in Tilak Nagar, Delhi. If anyone has access to his contact number please do share it." The 69-year-old business tycoon also promised to support Jaspreet's education.

The Mahindra Foundation, according to Gurmukh, has already reached out to the family.

AAP Tilak Nagar MLA Jarnail Singh has promised to provide Jaspreet with a new cart for his business and local BJP leader Rajiv Babbar has offered to bear all expenses of Jaspreet and his sister till class 12.

"The AAP MLA came here and said he will provide us with a new cart costing around 1.5 lakh. He also promised to provide two LED lights for our carts, one of which has already come," Gurmukh said.