Every morning at 7 AM, a voice rings out across Kabootar Chowk in Sunder Nagri, loud, familiar, and full of life: “Get your steering fixed! Ice is here!” It’s Shanu Bhai. For the last 24-25 years, he’s stood at this very spot, selling steering parts and ice, come sun or storm.
He may come off as gruff to a stranger, but everyone in the neighbourhood knows the truth: when there’s trouble, Shanu Bhai is the first one running to help. No one calls him by his full name anymore. Around here, he’s just Shanu Bhai, a name said with affection, respect, and a quiet sense of belonging.
Back in 2020, a public water cooler, a pyaau, was installed near his shop. For the daily-wage workers who gather nearby, waiting for work under the blazing sun, that cooler was more than just a structure. It was hope. At first, it worked well. Clean, cold water flowed, and parched mouths found relief.
But soon enough, neglect crept in. Sometimes the water ran dirty, sometimes it didn’t run at all. Days turned into weeks with no cleaning, no maintenance. One by one, people stopped going to the pyaau. And it bothered Shanu Bhai. Deeply.
He complained to the local councillor’s office. Nothing happened. So he rolled up his sleeves and took charge himself. From his modest daily earnings, ₹400, maybe ₹500 on a good day, he started putting aside money. He cleaned the pyaau. Paid for a motor to be directly connected. And now, every 15-20 days, he gets the tank scrubbed down and cleaned. It costs him ₹250-300 each time. But he never asks for help.
“If I can stand in the sun all day selling ice,” he says, “just imagine what those workers go through; no money, no shade, no water. When the pyaau runs dry, it’s like I am thirsty too.”
At home, he has his own battles; school fees, ration, the never-ending grind of running a household. But still, the pyaau comes first.
“I don’t know how long I’ll be around,” he says, “but this pyaau? It must never stop. It’s not just water. It’s dignity.”
Under the Delhi Rising campaign, it’s people like Shanu Bhai who show us what real heroism looks like. No headlines. No handouts. Just action. Just heart.
This isn’t just the story of a water cooler. It’s the story of self-respect and a fierce, glowing community spirit that still pulses through the veins of this city.
Where governments forget their promises, people like Shanu Bhai show up, sleeves rolled and hearts open, quenching the city’s thirst with their own sweat. That’s Delhi Rising. A city with problems, but also, people who refuse to look away.
