Asked to work for ₹5000 per month in hospital, Kerala nurse couple now sells snacks for a living

As evening falls, a small food cart lights up by the highway at X-ray Junction in Cherthala, Alappuzha. Behind the counter are husband and wife — Denny Baby (26) and Parvathy Jayakumar (24) — serving steaming hot bajis, tea, coffee, and fries. Their venture is just a month old, but it is not their first time working side by side. A few years ago, they were nurses, tending to patients. Now, having realised that hospital salaries were not enough to sustain a living, they have turned to street food.

“It’s been only a month since we set up the cart. Our house is just two kilometres away. We open by 3 pm and stay till 9 pm. The nearby shopkeepers, loading workers’ union members, and even customers have been our biggest support. It is them who even helped us install the cart. There is a beverage outlet nearby; however, we’ve never faced any trouble here,” says Parvathy.

Parvathy, a Cherthala native, and Denny, from Thodupuzha in Idukki, met while pursuing a diploma in Nursing and Paramedical studies at St Xavier’s School in Kuruppamthara, Kottayam. They got married shortly after the studies. After training, Denny began working at a private hospital in Hyderabad, while Parvathy attended training in Malappuram before joining him in Telangana. “Since ours was an interfaith marriage, my family initially objected. But in time, they accepted us,” Denny recalls.

The couple returned to Kerala three years ago when Parvathy became pregnant. “In Hyderabad, the salary wasn’t enough. Back here, private hospitals offered us even just ₹5,000 a month, while daily-wage work could fetch up to ₹1,000 a day. That made us give up on hospital jobs,” says Denny. He took up painting work, while Parvathy tried other private jobs with low pay. Finally, they decided to start something on their own.

Their cart now earns them between ₹2,000 and ₹3,000 daily. “The support has been overwhelming. Even if Denny isn’t here, shopkeepers and union members watch out for me. They helped us install and later shift the cart as well,” says Parvathy.

They bought the cart for ₹50,000 from one of Denny’s friends, with financial help from Parvathy’s mother, who works in Kuwait. “We weren’t good cooks at first. In the beginning, the food didn’t taste great. But locals shared tips and recipes, and gradually we improved. Now things run smoothly,” Denny says. The couple share all tasks — while one brews tea, the other fries bajis — and also cater to parcel orders.

Their three-year-old daughter Eva, a playschooler, is usually looked after by Parvathy’s father. “If he has other commitments, we take her along. It’s not easy to manage her at the cart, but we take turns,” Parvathy says. 

Looking ahead, they hope to expand their menu. “We’d like to add items like dosa, but that will require more help. Since it’s only been a month, we’ll wait a bit. The highway development work is also going on, so we’re unsure if we’ll have to shift locations,” says Denny.

Though another baji shop operates nearby, business has remained steady. “Only heavy rains slow things down. Now that the monsoon is ending, more customers are coming,” Denny adds.

As for their future, the couple remains grounded. “Many advise us to go abroad. But if we can earn enough here by running something of our own, that is the best thing for us,” they say. 

In 2017, Kerala witnessed a huge protest as the private hospital nurses went on an indefinite strike demanding better wages. The strike was called off after the government assured to intervene and ensure a minimum pay of ₹20,000. Pursuant to the decision, the Labour and Skills department issued a notification in 2018 revising the minimum rates of wages payable to the employees in the private hospital sector.