Occupation: Toy vendor
Would you like a bottle of bubble for your child? How about a bouncing ball that lights up or perhaps a plastic glow stick? I have toy trumpets, Barbie gift sets and even plastic Devil’s horns that light up.
I have been selling toys at the Shanghumugham beach for the last four months. My wife, Rekha, and my two kids, Priyanka and Priyansu, and I shifted base here during Attukal Pongala time.
We were in Chennai earlier where I was selling toys at the Marina Beach for a living. Why did I shift base from Chennai? My family and I came here to participate in the Pongala. I soon realised business would be better here.
Although I am from Bihar, I can speak Tamil really well as I was in Chennai for 10 years. But then, I have no choice but to pick up the local language real quick if I want to do business. I have managed to pick up a bit of Malayalam and will be able to speak like a local by the end of the year.
My family and I live in a rented room at Beemapally. The house we stay in has other people from Bihar. They too are vendors like me. While some deal with kites, others sell toys or bansuris. We don’t do business together except perhaps during temple festivals when we know there will be equal sales for all. We usually spread across the city so that we won’t affect the others’ business. Right now, there are just a handful of us in the city as most of them have gone home on visit. They will be back in time for Onam.
I get the toys I vend at Chala at a wholesale rate. I don’t believe in making a quick buck and I don’t overprice the toys I sell. Everything is priced between ₹30 and ₹100. Yet people try to bargain. Would they do so at a retail shop?
See this mini wall made out of sand around me? I make it myself. I come in by 3 pm and build it. The makeshift walls help me display my wares. Business has been good, especially during the recent school holidays. It’s the children who bring me the business.
I am 29 years old. Although I joined college, I had to quit as my marks were dismal. I was studying physics. What was my ambition? Nothing, really, although I wouldn’t have minded a steady job. After quitting college, I worked for a battery company in Delhi before moving to Haryana to work in a garment factory. I was working at a company in Chennai when it struck me that I could make a living selling toys at the Marina Beach.
I am the eldest in my family. As I send my parents and siblings back home a small sum every month, I lead a very frugal lifestyle.
When at home, I spend my time with my wife and children. I love cricket and am a huge fan of Virat Kohli. I am planning to visit my family in Bihar during Deepavali and am currently saving up to buy them clothes. I will be spending a few months there and will be back in time for Christmas. I enjoy my trips back home as I can afford to relax.
I am a simple man with simple dreams. I don’t want a shop of my own or become a proper business man. As long as I can keep a roof over my head and provide my family with their basic needs, I am happy.
(A weekly column on men and women who make Thiruvananthapuram what it is)
