The streets of Delhi have recently witnessed an upsurge in the demand of a beloved Mumbai delicacy – vada pav. Despite the capital’s favourite chole bhature and parathas, many people are now flocking to Chandrika Gera Dixit’s food cart to savour the tasty vada pav she serves.
Also known as Delhi’s ‘Vada Pav Girl’, Dixit rose to prominence virtually overnight when a video showcasing her street food offerings in the Sainik Vihar neighbourhood was shared by food vlogger Amit Jindal.
In the video, Dixit shared her story of leaving her job at Haldiram’s due to her son falling ill with dengue fever. She also mentioned her husband’s challenges with irregular work hours at Rapido, a bike-taxi aggregator, and how her love for cooking motivated her to embark on the food cart venture.
Meanwhile, another video went viral where Dixit got out of her fancy, luxurious Ford Mustang. The video caught wide attention from several people.
On her official Instagram account, the Vada Pav Girl also posted her video, with the caption, “Vada Pav Girl starts selling vada pav in a Mustang car.”
Despite her ever-rising fame, Dixit has not been without her share of controversies. A widely circulated video in March depicted Dixit in tears, alleging pressure from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to shut down her food cart. She claimed to have already paid around Rs 35,000 to the officials but continued to face demands for more money. Dixit pointed out the presence of numerous unauthorised food carts operating across Delhi in comparison.
Last month, reports surfaced of how Delhi’s ‘Vada Pav Girl’ was arrested by the Delhi police, which also started the trend under #DelhiVadaPavGirl across all social media platforms. Many netizens even found Dixit to be “extra rude” to her customers when they asked for more Vada Pavs.
Her popularity increased through collaborations with prominent content creators and food vloggers. From the likes of Tehelka Bhai from Bigg Boss 17, Sunny Arya, to Puneet Superstar and Dolly Chaiwala, Dixit served her famous vada pav to a host of celebrities, further solidifying her status as a street food icon in Delhi.
