Observing the busy market is cool and sometimes, can give us interesting life compositions to look at. Last week, I went to the local market in the nearby city, Almora and captured a few shots of the street vendors. And, Being a photography beginner, I loved it.
So, In this post, I would like to share some moments I enjoyed observing and a few roadside stories I came to know about.
I noticed this old man repairing a lock. He has this roadside corner since last forty years and sells whatever he manages to buy through his small income. And, this time, he was selling quite a funny combination of things. Fresh coriander, balloons and locks...🙄 I mean, who sells that? 😁 He also has a weighing scale. People, sometimes, visit him to determine their weight in exchange of a rupee.
It was a busy afternoon when I reached there. People were passing through the street almost every second, but he was so focused that nothing could distract him from his task.
Observing him was fun 😀
The banner behind the stall reads 'Pargai Tea Stall'. This small and unhygienic-looking roadside breakfast stall is pretty famous in the area for its kachori (deep-fried bread, stuffed with potato and spices) and chai (tea). A lot of travellers stop here to satisfy their taste buds.
It's usually crowded, but because I reached there in the morning, there wasn't much rush. In the afternoon, most of the neighbour shopkeepers come here to have a combined lunch and gossip.
His name is Preetam. He lives far away in a hilly village and comes to the city every winter to sell the peanuts.
He spends his days at this roadside corner and nights in the waiting room of a nearby bus stand. Quite a hardworking man he is.. even in this old age.
What I liked even more about him was the calmness he had on his face despite his difficulties and in the middle of the road rush. Thousands of vehicles pass every hour through the road, but he sits there as if he is sitting in his drawing room.
The girl in the picture is Kavya and she is only fourteen years old. She studies and attend her classes, but she also likes to spend the remaining time dealing with the customers at her shop. After the death of her father last year, She learned to help her mother run the business smoothly.
She is a sweet and brave girl. Watching her manage everything happily was a nice experience 😀
Now, I would share a few more pictures from the market and its surroundings, but without their description. Because, I believe, what's the point of a picture if it doesn't show you the story itself. Isn't it?
"According to the estimates, there are more than 10 million street vendors in India and fifty percent of them are either women or in the age group of 20-30 years."
Because street vending is the part of unregulated and informal sector in India, almost all of them have to pay the bribe or commission to the city officials, in order to book their spots in the market.
"Most of them live in the temporary (kuccha) houses. These are shelters with tin walls or the discarded cardboard pieces.
To sum up, I would say that street vending is quite a prevalent profession in India and other south asian countries. People prefer it because of the widespread illiteracy and their inability to get into the formal sector. But, I've noticed that most of them are happy wherever they are and now, the market appear like family to them.
In fact, I would say that they have their own world in the small streets and are proud to be its part.
"In India, I found a race of mortals living upon the earth, but not adhering to it, inhabiting cities, but not being fixed to them, possessing everything, but possessed by nothing." - India | Apollonius of Tyana.
Thanks for reading.