Dozing off on a gently swinging hammock in the house garden or a shady courtyard is no longer the preserve of the rich. The travelling salesmen from Srikakulam are here to help you have your afternoon siesta in the comfort of a hammock which comes at a price affordable even by the low income groups.
Yes, Kari Appanna and an estimated 500 of his compatriots from Ch. Kovvada village in Ranasthalam mandal of Srikakulam district (Andhra Pradesh), have now fanned across Telangana selling hammocks by the roadside. Made of nylon strings, the swings are being sold between ₹50 and ₹150 apiece that has become an attractive proposition for buyers.
While the smaller two ft-long hammock costs ₹50, the five-ft one costs ₹100 and the one with soft nylon threads meant for babies costs ₹150. The bearing capacity of the swings is about 100 kg, according to a salesman.
“We have agriculture land, but cultivation brings us nothing. This way, we earn a minimum of ₹5,000 a month,” revealed Appanna when asked about the reasons for becoming a travelling roadside salesman.
“We just returned from a long tour of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh,” he said. He speaks Hindi as fluently as Telugu, which evidently helps him in getting across in the northern States too.
“Many of us have worked in Mumbai for the past several years which is why we speak Hindi. I was working with a firm that packages computer parts,” recalled Appanna, who had set up his vend on the outskirts of Kanakapur village, about six km from Nirmal town on the Nirmal-Mancherial road.
Hanging in a series, the colourful folded hammocks make for a sight that helps evoke interest in passersby. “These can be hung from anywhere by extending the distal end strings accordingly,” Appanna said as he explained the working of the swing to a prospective buyer.