Occupation: Mango vendor
I am part of a company of mango sellers. Each seller gets a fixed daily wage plus expenses regardless of how many mangoes we sell. I usually sell different varieties such as Moovandan, Kilichundan, Karpooram and Kottoorkonam. I also sell another variety - I am not sure of its name -that costs at ₹90 to100 per kg. By the way, Kilichundan is the sweetest of the lot. The price of the mangoes is not fixed and is often negotiable.
We only sell home-grown, local varieties of mangoes. So, we are in business only in the height of mango season, when trees in Kerala bear fruit. The mangoes that are sold here have been plucked from trees in private compounds in localities in Alappuzha, Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram districts. We ourselves go to different parts of the districts in search of trees with lots of fruit. Sometimes there will be more than one tree in a compound. We then contact the owner and quote our price for the whole lot. For instance, there is tree in a house near Pattoor, with whose owner we have a standing agreement to pluck mangoes.
Often, we ourselves climb the trees to pluck the fruit. Most of the trees are quite large and it’s not possible to strike the mangoes down with a stick. Also, if the mangoes falls on rough ground, the fruits might get damaged and will become unfit for sale. The pay is more due to the risk involved.
I reach this stall in Pattoor by 9.30 am and go back home at around 6.30 pm or 7 pm. Almost all of us are from Kollam. The company vehicle drops us off at different points in the city in the morning, usually with five boxes of mangoes each, and pick us up in the evenings. At least, three to four boxes get sold on a good day.
I work only part time. I am studying at an Industrial Training Institute in Kollam, where I have class three days a week. I am also learning to be a diesel mechanic. Joining the Army is another dream of mine. I am always on the look out for recruitment drives. The last time the recruitment drive was held in Hyderabad, I didn’t qualify due to lack of fitness.
I live at Kaithakuzhy in Kollam district with my mother, Thangam, sister, Sherina, and my grandmother. Though my official name is Sherin, almost everyone calls me Unni.
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