Durga Puja comes as ‘boon’ to hawkers

Kolkata: Even as they struggle to make ends meet in most months of the year, Durga Puja comes as a boon for hawkers, statewide, as they travel to the ‘City of Joy’ to sell their wares in the hope of earning a lump sum amount that will help them pull through the rest of the year.

The city is no stranger to the sight of hawkers haggling with customers over prices of products and often getting chased away for grabbing pavements. However, Puja is the time where they are accommodated by many clubs where a corner is allotted to them to set up stalls.

Sujit Das, who left his elderly father, wife, and 8-year-old son at home, has come all the way from Nadia to Kumartuli Park, a popular Puja in North Kolkata, to sell ‘Banarasi paan’ (betel leaf), ‘fire paan’ and other varieties. Rest of the year, Das works as a caterer. “I have been coming to Kolkata during Durga Puja for the last 25 years. Initially, I set up stalls in Ballygunge but this year I moved to Kumartuli Park,” said Das while preparing a Banarasi pan for a pandal hopper on Sunday.

Das, now 46, has been making this journey since he was 21. He mentioned that the earnings during the Puja days help sustain his family for several months. “It’s hard to be away from my family during the festive season.

My son asked me not to go this year but I earn nearly Rs 1 lakh during these days which helps provide a better life for them. That’s why I came,” he explained.

The stalls around the Puja pandals offer a wide range of items starting from ‘phuchka’, ‘ghughni’, ‘momo’, ‘rolls’ etc to mocktails, tattoos and games like balloon shooting. Many pandals have designated areas for these stalls, creating a fair-like atmosphere.

Some hawkers, like the owner of a mocktail stall from Kakinada, usually sell their wares at various fairs across the state. “In fairs, I sell around Rs 10,000, but during Saptami and Ashtami, I can earn nearly Rs 50,000 to Rs 60,000 in a day. We don’t get bonuses. Hence, the Puja profits are like a bonus for us. If it doesn’t rain, I always see good turnouts,” said Ankit Shaw, the stall owner.

A tea stall employee mentioned that they usually set up stalls in Kalyani ITI More and various fairs across Bengal, including Kolaghat, Singur, Midnapore, Asansol and Cooch Behar. This is their first time in Kolkata during Durga Puja. “We are hoping for a different experience this year,” said the employee.

Ramesh Shaw, a fuchka seller near Ahiritola Sarbojanin, proudly stated: “Every year, I sit in this exact spot.” Shaw is optimistic that sales will increase in the upcoming Puja days.

Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) too has decided to temporarily put a hold on its hawker drive which it intends to resume post Puja. Sources said that due to the protests surrounding the RG Kar incidents, hawkers in the city have suffered losses as the share of pre-Puja customers dwindled.

A KMC official said many have come from far off districts during Puja to sell their wares. “We will ensure basic norms are not violated while the police too are cooperating with us in verifying their identity. They won’t be evicted for now,” the official said.