Occupation: Cane juice seller
I hail from a village near Palani. I came to Madurai 10 years ago in search of livelihood. I joined a juice shop near Vilakuthoon as an assistant. After two years, I set up my own stall in the town and now I have shifted to K.K.Nagar.
I live nearby in the Karumbalai slum with my family. My wife works as domestic help and my two sons and a daughter are school-goers. Everyday, I sell around 50 glasses of cane juice at Rs.10 each. It is enough to run my family. I buy sugarcane in bulk from wholesale traders at Mattuthavani eight times a month. It costs Rs.200 for 40 canes.
My day starts at 10 a.m. and I wind up by 6 p.m. My work is seasonal as I make good money only during the summer months. After July, during the rains and winter, I don’t sell as many glasses of juice. During that period I do some errand jobs.
With a pint of lemon and ginger added, the cane juice works as a healer for the heat. It gives instant energy and refreshes you. The law college students are my regular customers besides the passers-by and those from the ESI hospital.
I took a bank loan of Rs.55,000 and invested in a cane-juice squeezer. I will soon be opening another stall to cash in on the season.
( A fortnightly column on men and women who make Madurai what it is)
