Dilli 6 Ki Rasoi: A Community Kitchen Providing Accessible Food While Preserving Cultural Heritage

Community stands out as one of the most important integral aspects of an individual’s identity in any part of the world. We, in every way, thrive on being a part of a community to internalise a sense of belonging. It then also becomes imperative to give back; to serve one’s community.

Delhi 6 Ki Rasoi is a community kitchen situated in old Delhi that aims at giving back to the community around them by providing food and highlighting the culture as well as the history behind it. An artistic non-profit organisation, it doesn’t believe in merely providing subsidised food but also in evoking traditional storytelling techniques to allow people to connect with their food at a deeper level.

Qissa Goi

Working in association with TALENT (Team and Association in Learning Education and Natural Theatre), Delhi 6 Ki Rasoi aids them in working in areas of theatre and education with children, youth and women of Old Delhi. Along with the food that they serve, they parallelly aim at reviving the traditional storytelling practice called Qissa Goi.

They work with the local community there to document the stories and legends of Delhi 6 and become instrumental in spreading these stories and keeping the culture of the historical region alive.

The children of Old Delhi, especially, play a monumental role in reviving the culture of Old Delhi along with learning and equipping themselves with the skills of Qissa Goi. These kids come from underprivileged backgrounds and seldom receive opportunities to carve out their artistic abilities since they’re too caught up with earning a day’s wage. Participating in these workshops allows them to not be confined by their economic condition and explore art while at the same time preserving their heritage.

The Rasoi

Dilli 6 Ki Rasoi provides meals to the people of Old Delhi for free or at a humble rate of Rs.10 only. The TALENT group and the community of people part of the NGO pool resources or work on generous donations to cook and provide meals to the less privileged community around them. The initiative has benefitted the community of workers of Old Delhi like rickshaw drivers, slum dwellers, migrants, construction workers and by-passers.

The food they prepare, according to them is prepared with love and the spirit of service. Anyone and everyone are allowed to donate as much as they want. With a minimum donation of Rs.10 to sponsor one meal, The accessibility of helping the community becomes convenient for people despite their wealth and capacity to give. To donate you can check their Instagram page and sponsor meals today!

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