Occupation: Road-side spice vendor
It must have been over 10 years ago that I started selling spices here, near the Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple. I occupy this small space between the ‘kallana’ [a granite statue of an elephant] and the huge banyan tree opposite Padmatheertham Pond. I believe this elephant has a history to it and therefore I feel blessed and happy sitting here.
We hail from the Patel community from Gujarat. My parents, Vishnu and Leela, belong to Ahmedabad, but nearly 45 years ago they came to Kerala in search of work and since then the city has been their home. I consider myself a Malayali because I was born and brought up here. I have a large family, with 11 siblings. I am the eighth one and all of us are now well-settled.
Initially my parents used to sell artificial flowers made of X-ray films. We colour these films and after that they are cut in the shape of petals and leaves. But after a point we stopped that and got into selling spices. My parents used to do business inside Chala market, near the shops selling flowers.
I studied in the Sanskrit School, inside Fort, but only till class five. After that I started helping my parents and siblings in running our large family. I am 27 now. My father stays at home now since he has some problem with his eye sight and we have closed our business in Chala. Sometimes my mother comes to help me. I work on all days from 10 a.m. to 6.30 p.m.
I sell fennel (perumjeerakam), cinnamon (patta), star anise (thakkolam ), clove (grampoo), cardamom (elakka), and poppy seeds (khuskhus), which are used to make garam masala powder. These spices are bought in bulk from Chala market. You can see these small plates, in which I have kept all these ingredients, with each plate priced at Rs. 10. Or else, I can give each ingredient separately. I have a lot of regular customers, most of them Malayalis. North Indians mostly buy these spices in bulk, not in small quantities.
When the security was tightened around the temple, I was asked to vacate this space. So we met the officials concerned and sought permission to continue selling from this place. After going through our application we were allowed to do business from the same place. During the rainy season, I do other things like selling jasmine saplings. I am satisfied with what I earn.
Neither my parents nor I want to go back to Gujarat even though we don’t have a house of our own here and have been living in rented houses. We like the place, the weather and living conditions. I stay in Cheriyathura with my parents, my sister, her husband and their five children. My sister and her husband run a spice stall in Peroorkada market. Another member is coming into our family as I am getting married next month.
(A weekly column on men and women who make Thiruvananthapuram what it is)
