Occupation: Sells rambutans
I am surprised that business is rather slow today; it’s usually at a peak during weekends. Most of my customers are regulars. People on their way to Kovalam also stop at my wayside stall. Those who know me, know that I stock only the freshest of fruits.
I have been selling rambutans during its season, May to August, for the past six years. The fascination for rambutans began when I saw a vendor selling them in Karamana one day. Curious to know what the fruit was, I bought some and asked him where he had bought it from. This was when rambutans were a relatively new fruit in the market. He told me how agents in the Pathnamthitta-Kottayam area supplied the fruits in the city.
Inspired, I too decided to enter the field. In the beginning, mainly because there was no one to guide me, I got fleeced by the agents. I learnt on the job. The agents have a list of homes around Pathnamthitta-Kottayam from where they source the rambutans. Apparently, many people from that particular area used to work in Malaysia and Singapore, where rambutans are extensively grown. They brought the seeds back home and planted trees. There are two kinds of rambutans: koozha and varika. Varika is the best as the flesh separates from the seed easily. It is also a bit more expensive than the koozha. I sell the varika variety for Rs. 180 per kilo.
The agents cover the rambutan tree tops with nets to keep bats and squirrels at bay, when the fruits start ripening. They pluck the fruit once it reddens and pack them in trays.
Each tray will weigh between 10 to 15 kilos. A truck delivers the trays daily. While I usually buy only 20 kilos daily, the past month I have been storing 30 kilos of rambutan as it was the Ramzan season and many buy the fruit to serve during the breaking of fast.
As the rambutan season is nearly over, I will be selling pomegranates next. I start my day at this makeshift stall at 9.30 a.m. and end it by 6.30 p.m. I chose to set up shop on this stretch of the road near the Thiruvallam bridge because it is close to my home. Also, I am familiar with this stretch of road and know those living around this area. Besides that, there is enough parking space for those who want to stop by my stall. I sell only one variety of fruit at a time and that too seasonal fruits because very few vendors do so; the novelty attracts customers. People feel they will get fresh fruits and better prices at my stall. Rambutans were not easily available in the market when I first started out and so I used to make a decent profit; these days with competition at every nook and corner, I make only a marginal gain.
Although I was relatively good in studies, I had to discontinue because my father passed away. With five sisters of marriageable age, the responsibility of seeing them settled in life fell on my shoulders. I started earning a living by helping out at my uncle’s store. After getting married, my wife and I moved to Warangal, Hyderabad, where I ran a small store for 18 years. My two daughters completed their studies there. My elder daughter is married and has a child. My younger daughter is currently doing her chartered accountancy. Although business was successful there, I chose to return as I missed my family.
I haven’t had any regrets so far. I have been able to earn a living with my little stall and hope to continue to do so for a long time.
As told to Liza George
(A weekly column on the men and women who make Thiruvananthapuram what it is)
