Hope in the face of difficulty…
Some of us were lucky to have our lives only marginally impacted by the rain. But for several, the daily livelihood was affected. Daily wage labourers and small shopowners, who had been looking forward to increased sales during the Ganesha Chaturthi habba, were at best, disappointed, and at worst, lost their wares as well.
Here’s a picture of both sadness and hope:
I went back later, a few hours after I took the photograph, and spoke to this man, who said that sales were very poor yesterday and the day before that, due to the rain; but he was back again today, waiting for at least some persons to buy his colourful dolls during the visarjana ceremony…I am hoping sales will be better today, he said. He is the optimist…he hopes even though it’s been tough going, and he has no alternatives, either…he MUST hope that today, business will be better.
Let’s spare a thought for those whose daily lives, and economics, revolve around these kind of make-or-break situations. What is an extra cup of hot tea and a little inconvenience to a wealthy person, means slipping further into debt for a poor trader…..
They do manage to have a more or less happy living. When I was a kid I used to see this chap selling odds and ends (like plastic combs and stuff) from a briefcase propped up on a stand on the footpath.
Many years later when I was passing by I noticed he was still there.
Well..not always, Prem; sometimes they fall deeper and deeper into debt. Then they have to vacate the place where they live, and they disappear from our sight, and hopefully, re-surface elsewhere. This actually happened to a small trader I knew; I happened to talk to him a lot and had lent him some money to tide over really bad times; his pushcart suddenly disappeared from our area. I was astonished to see him in a small shop in Rajaji Nagar, and his first reaction was, “Madam, I promise to return your money…!” He had to sell off his pushcart and was trying to make another beginning. Of course I told him not to bother about the money…but I realized that the move had also been to escape other creditors who were not quite so accomodating.