Pavement Professions

                The thoroughfares of Gariahat, Rashbehari Avenue in the heart of the City of Joy are still arguably, one of the best destinations for the “income-on-footpath” phenomenon. From dawn unto midnight, the pavements teem with bushels of mortals—some belonging to the proletariat and merely savoring a vision of the endless activity there; some glamorous shopaholics rummaging every source of affordables and attending to their purse very now and then leaving themselves uninjured by the qualms of reckless extravagance. And there lie the other bevy of individuals, occupying, maybe, a position inferior to that of the buyers, but nevertheless profitable. This is the group that comprises the trite haunts of the hawkers whose strident exclamations seem to overcome all the obstacles of the social strata.

                These people have indeed found a better way of income than hankering after the merciless tail of employment until the claws of limit and tolerance arrive to grapple them. We don’t need to attend some posh restaurant or gain entrée into an expensive garments store to tell ourselves profligate; just for our daily needs, the pavement’s enough. Ranging from the likes of clothes to even a bicycle chain or a screw; you name it and you have it. All day long these people work themselves to the teeth and return home satisfied. The prevailing sense of humour, the DLF IPL, Bollywood and everything around serve as the topics of discussion of those all-day-long entertaining conversations amongst the “pavement employees” amid the raucous whispers of the city. Professions range from sale of caps, footwear, comestibles to sarees, garments and alike. The professions involved with technology is probably the only commodity found wanting in the footpaths.

The per diem income ranges from Rs.400-500 and sometimes spikes up to Rs.1000 during the Pujas. They are mostly happy and satisfied about their professions. They interact and are subjected to all sorts of haggling and they sometimes succeed, sometimes fail.

Many of them dwell in the farthest points of the city—some arrive by the first Banga Local in the wee hours and some by the Metro while others by autorickshaws.

Their life is a mélange of ups and downs, entertainment and depression, profit and loss—and through these, they thrust their way forward; since they have to go on. They dream of their sons and daughters to turn successful when they grow up and rid them of the hardship that they face in the open pavement under the harshness of the rain, sun and wind. But till then, they shall carry on.