The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : A potpourri of early rising, money making and no learning city pulse

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Monday, Jul 07, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

A potpourri of early rising, money making and no learning city pulse

Vidya Venkat

School dropouts from other States sell ‘panipuris’ for a livelihood

Photo: S.Thanthoni

All for survival: Brijender is among hundreds of youngsters who have migrated to the city from north India to survive. —

CHENNAI: A drive down the TVS bus stand on Anna Salai to the Central Station, one can spot at least four or five boys on the pavement selling panipuris in tiny makeshift stalls. Coming from villages in Uttar Pradesh, these boys are mostly school dropouts.

Brijender sells panipuris near the station.

He says he migrated to the city with a relative, whom he calls ‘seth’ The boy shares a rented apartment near the station with eight other boys from his village.

Earn Rs. 500 every month

He earns Rs.500 a month.

“I wake up by 6 a.m., prepare the food items and set shop here by 2 p.m. It is open till 10 p.m.,” he says.

His parents own five acres of land on which they cultivate wheat and pulses. But this does not fetch them enough money to survive. “Baarish nahi hua, bahut mushkil ho gaya,” he says. (There was no rain and it led to problems)

‘Seth’ Rampal also entered the business in his early teens, migrating to Chennai about 15 years ago. He says he figured out that South Indian people loved tangy food and decided selling panipuris was a good way to make money.

New members

Every time he goes to his village, a new member is added to his team.

The boys are safe with him, he assures. They get to eat two “generous” meals a day, prepared by none other than the boys themselves.

Brijender can be seen selling panipuris to boys of his own age, who stop by his shop on their way back from school.

Ask him if he misses going to school himself and the reply is, “I never liked school.”

Rampal too is sceptical about the need for him to study. “Padh likhkar kya karega? Kaam seekh le toh achcha hai” he concludes. (What is the point in studying? Better to learn a trade.)

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