Refusing to surrender to severe financial hardship, three sisters from the Maharajganj district of Uttar Pradesh have taken charge of their family's destiny through sheer perseverance. Vartika, Vandita, and Avantika manage a busy roadside tea stall located right outside the main gates of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gorakhpur University. While earning a livelihood to support their household, the trio devotes every spare hour to preparing for the civil services examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission. Their daily routine bridges the gap between running a small food stall during the day and delving into intensive competitive exam preparation late into the night.
Health Crisis That Altered the Family's Fortunes
The family once enjoyed financial stability when their father, Ramsakal Upadhyay, served as a branch manager at a private firm in Maharajganj. The household was disrupted in 2017 when he suffered a debilitating paralysis attack. The medical emergency abruptly ended his employment, and the mounting medical costs quickly depleted the family's savings, eventually forcing them to sell ancestral agricultural land in their village. Meeting domestic expenses alongside funding their father's continuous medicine bills of 5,000 to 6,000 rupees every month became unsustainable. Under the weight of these financial pressures, their elder brother Shivam was forced to discontinue his education and take up a job as a telecaller to bring in whatever income he could.
Building Believer Bistro on an 8,000-Rupee Budget
Determined to ease the family's burden, the second sister, Vandita, initially took up private tutoring and minor part-time jobs, but the income remained insufficient for their regular expenditures. The sisters then decided to set up a roadside tea business. Their mother, Madhuri, initially opposed the plan out of concern over societal scrutiny and what neighbors might say. As financial difficulties deepened, the three sisters pooled together a modest sum of 8,000 rupees to launch a stall named Believer Bistro directly outside the university gates. Over time, patrons visiting the stall have come to admire both their tea and snacks as well as their relentless determination to overcome hardship.
A Rigorous Daily Schedule Divided Between Work and Books
Managing both livelihood and academics requires an uncompromising routine from each sister. The eldest, twenty-two-year-old Vartika, has already completed her Bachelor of Science degree. She wakes up at 4:00 AM each morning, manages domestic responsibilities, and dedicates five to six hours to focused self-study. Meanwhile, twenty-one-year-old Vandita and nineteen-year-old Avantika are currently pursuing their first year of Bachelor of Arts degrees at Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gorakhpur University. Both younger sisters manage the stall from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM every day, attending to customers for twelve hours straight to keep the family afloat.
Late-Night Digital Learning to Reach Administrative Services
Once the stall closes in the evening and household chores are finished, the sisters transition back to their books. From midnight until 2:00 to 3:00 AM, they study competitive examination materials through YouTube and various digital resources. Vartika and Avantika have set their sights on joining the Indian Administrative Service as IAS officers, while Vandita aspires to enter the Indian Police Service to become an IPS officer. Vartika draws inspiration from IAS officer Srushti Deshmukh. Witnessing their daughter's resilience in the face of misfortune, their parents express profound pride in how the three young women kept the family united through their darkest hours.
