I am…Mohammed Fazil

Mohammed Fazil, who runs a provision store in Palayam market

Occupation: Runs a provision store

Give me a moment please. I have to measure out and wrap three kilos of white rice for a customer, who will be coming to pick it up soon. She’s also ordered two kilos each of onions, shallots and potatoes.

Most of my regular customers usually place their orders in advance. I think I have many regulars because they know that I will always give them only good quality provisions. Only rarely do I get bulk orders from restaurants, caterers and the like and even then it’ll be just one thing, say 10 kg of sugar or onion, something that they need urgently. Mostly, I get walk in customers, who buy small quantities of a number of things.

As you can see from the sacks piled around me, I stock all manner of things, from different varieties of rice, pulses and millets to onions, dried red chilli, spices, sugar, salt, batteries, oil, sachets of shampoo…just about any groceries that you would need for your house. Most of the stock has been sourced from wholesale dealers in Chala. The top seller has always been and continues to be rice. Recently, sales of millets and pulses have come down a bit because they are much cheaper in subsidised stores.

These days I also sell mobile recharge coupons for various telecom companies. I get a lot of customers for that. Selling the coupons is not very profitable but my motto is that any kind of business is good business. Even if you make one Rupee profit, it’s one Rupee towards the business.

I have been running this small provision store inside Palayam market for 27 years now. Actually, I took over the business from my father, Mohammed Kasim, when I was 27 or so. My father had been running this store here in the market itself for at least 25 years before that. That means our family has been selling provisions here for over 50 years now.

I studied until pre-degree and spent years trying to crack the public service commission exams. When that didn’t work out, my father insisted that I join the business. I didn’t have much of a choice because I needed a job and felt it was time to stand on my own two feet and I had to look after my own family as well. In retrospect it was a good decision. I make a good living out of the store – just enough for my small family of four, which includes my wife Najeena, a homemaker, and my children Farhaan, who completed her B.Com, and Noufal, a Plus One student, to live comfortably. One of my brothers runs a provision store near All Saints' College. My other brother retired from government service, recently. I am proud that I am continuing the family legacy.

(A weekly column on the men and women who make Thiruvananthapuram what it is)