Roadside bat sellers finding it difficult to make ends meet
| Date :27-Apr-2020 |
The roadside bat sellers are facing very critical time due nation-wide lockdown. The sale of cricket bats, which used to be at peak at this time of year, has come to a standstill.
Sports Reporter :
EVERY year, the month of April would bring cheer to their faces. As soon as school, college exams get over, their business used to flourish and these roadside bats sellers would make a good earning. There used to be a sudden sprout of ‘would be’ Sachins, Virats, Rohits, surrounding their open air shops to pick the best of the tennisball bats. But today, these daily bread earners are living in dire straits after the new coronavirus pandemic forced a complete lockdown of the country. With schools and colleges already closed and grounds wearing a barren look, there is hardly any customer at these shops which used to be most “sought after” destination to purchase the best bats in summer.
The pandemic has forced the administration to take strict action against those venturing out of their houses for no reason. Hence, kids are forced to stay indoor. The tonking of the ball in colonies and bylanes have died down. And so did the sale of tennisball bats. With no customers, it has become an arduous task for these bat sellers, who migrated from Gujarat three decades ago, to make ends meet. With each passing day, they are finding it more difficult to feed their children.
The open air shops beside the pavement of Wardha Road wears a deserted look with cricket bats, stumps, study tables gathering dust. There are seven families comprising nearly 50 members who are in business of making bats, stumps and other wooden materials. “In Gujarat, we used to make bats and stumps but selling them there was a very difficult ask. We had to carry them on cycle rickshaw or over our heads and then had to go door-to-door to sell them. To avoid that cumbersome task we migrated to Nagpur around 35 years ago. The bat selling business was going strong and we were earning well. But due to this deadly COVID-19, we have lost all our livelihood,” said Ramesh Bhaijhori, head of the business community. “We came to Nagpur as it was easy to sell our items here. We are selling all the items under one roof and at one place. But due lockdown we are hardly selling anything.
Our earnings have gone down to zero,” rued Bhaijhori. “Before COVID-19 the business was good. We used to earn around Rs 500 profit per day but now the situation is very bad. “We hardly sell a bat or two in a week. That hardly gives us enough money to pay for the raw materials and other cutting equipment,” Bhaijhori said with a choked voice. “A big thanks to the people who are generously donating us rice, bread and other food items. It’s because of them we are able to survive and feed our children,” said Bhaijhori with a sigh of relief. “Kacchi Patel Samaj, Bhavani Mandir Trust, Bajaj Nagar Police Station are some of the benefactors who are providing us food. But we need more help from the citizens of Nagpur,” he added. It is a joint business of this tribe of seven family.
Whatever profit they earn, it is distributed equally. “Whatever we earn we make sure it is distributed equally among all families. Whether it is Rs 100 a day or Rs 1000, we share the profits equally among all seven families. And most of us use the money for our children’s well being and education,” mentioned Bhaijhori. Galiben, mother of three, makes two sets of stumps everyday. She said, “we apply the same concept of sharing when it comes to food also. Whatever food we get we make sure we first feed our children and then we distribute it among ourselves,” she said. “I have never seen such a situation. I just pray this ends sooner than later,” she concluded.