Hawkers reap fringe benefits of stand-off

KOLKATA: People came streaming in through the day to raise the protest pitch at Metro Channel on Monday but an unassuming group seemed to make most of the ongoing CBI-state stand-off. The hawkers in the Esplanade area made some quick bucks in the last 24 hours as supporters and onlookers doubled up as potential shoppers.

It all started when the hawkers on the stretch from Cottage Industries Emporium to Lenin Sarani were about to wind up on Sunday. Seeing a huge contingent of people arriving, most decided to keep their stalls/shops open to cash in on the opportunity. Finally, no one complained when they wound up around midnight, only to come back and open shop by 8am on Monday, at least two hours before schedule.


While the tea/coffee/lemon water stalls, jhaalmuri and phuchka walas made brisk business almost instantly, hawkers selling bags and suitcases, Tshirts, shorts and skirts and the shoe sellers at Metro Gully had all turned into Didi supporters overnight. The refrain one heard was: “Didi should not give up easily and fast”.

“It suddenly feels like pujas at the end of winter. The crowd is gravitating towards us on its way back home,” said a happy Mohammed Salim, who sells jeans and T-shirts just outside the Cottage Industries Emporium. “Usually, prices are fixed but we are giving a further discount to cash in on the situation. Most of us have stocked up,” he added.

His neighbour, Abdul Kader, who sells bags, said he had sold at least 10 bags beyond the closing time last night. “I have brought in different sizes of bags today from my godown at Fancy Market because I am anticipating brisk sales today,” Kader added. Soon, a taxi driver, who identified himself as Moinuddin Khan, got down from his car, got up on the bonnet, and started shouting, “Jai Didi, Jai Modi…Didi Bangal mein, Modi Delhi mein.” He then took out a Rs 100 note and gave it to a lemon water seller, asking him to choose any 10 Didi supporters at random and treat them to a cool drink. “You will find many like him here. They are adding to our sales,” said Rontu Jati, a lemon water seller.

And why only hawkers, shops, too, were seeing brisk sales. Take the case of Symphony, which has stocked up on CDs related to Didi and Trinamool Congress. This store is also into music production and had produced at least six Mamata related albums in the past. These and others produced by other companies were on sale. “An event like this naturally brings supporters, especially those from the districts, looking out for such albums. We have seen Mamata’s dharna for Singur and also the agitation when she and her men were attacked, a stone’s throw from here,” said Vishal Gupta, the owner of the store.