Street hawkers are very common in India. They can be found here, there and everywhere. There is hardly any village, town or a city without street hawkers. They have been there for countries. They go from one town to another town and street for selling their various articles.
A street hawker comes with his basket full of fruits, vegetables, sweets, and articles of general use. He may come with a big bundle of clothes or shawls on his back. He is very useful. He brings the bazaar to our door-steps and makes life easy and convenient. He is welcomed by all, particularly by ladies, old men and children. He has no fixed hours. If he is there in this colony in the morning, he will be in the next street in the evening. He has his own way of selling goods and calling the customers.
The things he hawks are cheaper. On seeing him come children and ladies flock him to purchase things of daily need. He can also liked by schools during recess time. His eatables are liked by school children as they are cheap and tasty. There is a lot of haggling. Sometimes a hawker has to come to terms with his old customers and sell things on reduced rates.
A street hawker is a petty trader. He works very hard to earn his living. His income is meager. He carries his heavy load either on his head or on a bicycle. His absence is very much missed by the customers. They usually wait for his arrival for making their purchases. He is often on good terms with his customers as he is a daily visitor. A thing can be returned to him if found defective or not satisfying. He willingly exchanges things bought from him when found defective. He tries hard to satisfy his customers. The conditions of the hawkers are very bad. They somehow manage to keep their body and soul together. They are also exploited by policemen municipal authorities and other officials.
Sometimes hawkers cause nuisance by distributing the peace of the locality by their loud cells. They often throw wrappers, fruit-skins and leaf-plates here and there. Many a time a hawker may indulge in theft or stealing. An anti-social element may also be there in the guise of a street hawker. It is not safe to purchase things from unknown hawkers. Hawkers should be registered and licenced to check cheating and mal-practices. They may cheat small children and supply cheap and harmful eatables. Sometimes a hawker may turnout a child-lifter.
Thousands and thousands of poor people earn their daily bread by hawking. It is a very useful self-employment which can be started with a very small amount of money. There is no harm in earning one’s bread and butter by hawking. Government should try to help them by giving loans on cheap rates of interest. Their lot should be improved as citizens of the country. As hawkers, they render a useful service. Instead of becoming a burden on the society, they support themselves and their families by adopting this profession. So far no social group or government agency has done anything to organise them.
