The pandemic has affected everyone but especially the small-scale sellers, who have been in the face of pressing times since the outbreak. It is really tough to imagine the plight of the street sellers across the city and beyond but their perseverance surely deserves an applause. One such seller who has our attention is from our city and his story is definitely worth a read!
From vending lottery tickets to selling earrings
People have often heard about the famous ‘Bareily ka Jhumka’ but little do they know about Lucknow’s ‘Jhumke wale Baba‘. Dinesh Shukla, an aged local vendor from Rajajipuram in Lucknow, has experienced a rollercoaster of life- from graduating with a degree from Gandhi Inter College in Hardoi to earning ₹150 per day by selling earrings at the Bhootnath Market, he has seen the tides of time.
Shukla has done everything to survive the COVID-19 pandemic with his wife and two sons and simultaneously, this hard-working man has been a hardcore believer of luck, as he started his journey by selling lottery tickets to earn his living. Further, in order to try his hands at something new, Shukla had also started handling the sales of readymade garments at Lucknow’s Budh Bazaar.
A pair of earring costs ₹10- ₹20
Even though the intricate earrings which he sells are priced within the range of ₹10- ₹20, people around are often spotted bargaining for the same. He brings these jhumkas from the main market on a commission basis and sells them to earn his living. One of the sons has followed the footsteps of the father and has set up a stall of clothes in Patrakarpuram, Lucknow. “The man is a hard worker and has been setting up his shop for the last eight years”, a passerby was quoted saying.
According to Shukla, the festive season in November was disappointing for him as people hardly flocked to the market with the COVID-19 pandemic in place. “Kam log aane ki wajah se dukaan nahi kholi 2 mahine se “, he added.
Local vendors fighting the test of time
Dinesh can be easily spotted selling earrings at the Bhoothnath Market from 2 PM – 9 PM every day, opposite Sunder Bakery. So if you are around, don’t shy away from purchasing his trinkets as it definitely comes cheaper than online shopping or retail stores. It’s high time that we extend our support to Dinesh and many such local vendors around so that they can steadily make up for the losses incurred due to the pandemic.
