India’s most beloved singer, Arijit Singh, is winning hearts with his music and his empathy. In Jiaganj, Murshidabad, West Bengal, Arijit has introduced a healthy food service restaurant called “Heshel” for just Rs 40, in the city where he lives. Unlike several celebrity endeavors centered on luxury dishes, Arijit’s one is more about the community, and serving the kind of food that will make it all accessible to everyone.
Heshel is a family‑run restaurant owned by Arijit Singh’s father, Surinder Singh. Its simple interiors, steel plates, and homely atmosphere. It was constructed for inclusivity, not glamour. The idea is to offer inexpensive, healthy meals to students, daily wage workers, and senior citizens who are struggling to navigate the skyrocketing cost of food.
The restaurant features a variety of dishes and sells them at an extremely low price point. A basic vegetarian thali is available for Rs 40, and students can purchase it at Rs 30. The menu has Bengali and Punjabi vegetarian and non‑vegetarian dishes offered. Things like Navratna Korma cost Rs 80, pulaos sell for Rs 150–200, while non‑vegetarian items such as chicken kassa and mutton biryani are affordable as well. The emphasis is on nutritious, everyday meals rather than frilly, extravagant fare.
This also receives high acclaim mainly because it reflects Arijit Singh’s care and humility for his community. Its message is very popular. In this case, it makes a positive impact on his residents' lives. Heshel is a relief for those who need it most, at a time when the cost of food is rocketing. So that students, laborers, and seniors who are in need of nutritious meals can eat something good without care. The restaurant’s popularity has already been very fast, not just because it is affordable but because of its message (that food should be available to everybody).
The majority of celebrity‑owned restaurants are synonymous with luxury, exclusivity, and high prices. Arijit Singh took a different route away from that path. Through launching Heshel, he has demonstrated how fame can be leveraged to elevate communities. Not a restaurant by profit, but a service restaurant that made him a socially conscious artist.
This restaurant, Arijit Singh’s Heshel, is not only a place to eat but a token of love, modesty, and community care. In offering meals for Rs 40, he has led the way as a public figure in how our society at large needs to hear how big an impact we’re getting back in terms of making a positive impact. For many of Jiaganj, the place to eat at Heshel can also serve as a testament to how compassion can be as powerful as music.
