Aditi Gogate
Student, Designer
Recently, the pandemic got me thinking about the lives of the small fruit and flower sellers. What must be their struggles during these hard times?
I got a chance to interview a flower seller who shared with me his daily routine and other experiences.
The flower seller, Mr. Hawaldar, has been doing this business since his childhood. He finished his studies and started selling flowers because of the modest conditions of his family and due to his own liking.
He stated that he has regular customers everyday while there is a huge spike of customers seen during festivals like Gudi Padwa, Ganesh Chathurthi and Diwali. However every coin has 2 sides as he faced a sharp decline in his business during the pandemic. He faced a lot of hurdles because of the pandemic, which led to a downfall in his sales.
In spite of being 60-65 years old, he works very diligently. He wakes up early in the morning. He cycles a few kilometers to market yard every day and carries huge bundles of fresh flowers from the market back to his small shack by 7 am. He then spends the entire day selling flowers and garlands to his customers. He returns home late at night after a day full of hardship.
He has 2 sons. His sons sometimes help him to deliver flowers to customers. Although they are not able to afford the expensive books and study material, he proudly told me that both his sons stood first in their respective schools and that both of them want to continue their higher education.
Sometimes instead of looking up to celebrities, we need to take inspiration from such ordinary people and the way they lead their lives with honesty and hard work. Although Mr. Hawaldar is a man of modest means, he is content with what he has. I hope his story enlightens people and they see a new perspective of living life!
Contact
I’m available for new projects. Drop me a line, and let’s create something new.
AditiWrites 