Farmers Movement Archive

Business unusual: Border protest a shot in arm for these shopkeepers

NEW DELHI: Sarabjit, a shopkeeper selling jackets near Singhu border, has been making a brisk business ever since the protests started. While he used to barely get 5-10 customers on a regular day, with the farmers being present there in hordes, he has now been getting 40-50 buyers daily. Like him, other shopkeepers who were earlier upset over the protests gathering pace near their workplace, are now happy as their sales have risen phenomenally over the past two weeks. Be it shoe sellers, barbers or restaurants, all of them are flooded with customers. “I have a family of six and there were days when I hardly made any sales. Once the protests started, I was upset as I felt that my sales would come down to zero. But after placing a stall near the protest site, I have made more money in the past two weeks than what I earned in an entire year,” said Sarabjit. As one heads further into the protest site, one can notice more shops remaining open despite the agitation taking place there. Samrat, a barber, has now learnt the art of tying turbans too. “Even though Sikhs don’t get a haircut, they are very particular about getting their turbans in place. Earlier, I used to get 10 clients daily, but now I get at least 50,” he said. While Samrat had kept his shop closed in the initial days, after much contemplation he later decided to open it. “A protester visited me and I told him about my apprehension of keeping the shop open. After coming to know that I needed money to sustain my family, he called a few protesters and they taught me to tie a turban. They also paid me for tying a turban properly. Ever since, my shop has never been empty. The protesters are very generous. Many of them pay me more than my usual rates. Though they are fighting a hard battle, they keep a smile on and ask everyone to have faith in God,” said the barber. A biryani shop owner next to the salon resonated the same feelings. Washing utensils and taking orders for lunch simultaneously, Zaid-ul said he had kept his shop shut for two days. When he reopened, he was amazed at the response from the farmers. “Though many langars are held daily, many protesters visit our shops so that we don’t incur losses. They ensure that we make more money than usual. I don’t think their demands are unreasonable. Sleeping on the streets on such cold nights must be quite difficult, but they seem to go on with such ease,” he added. Sanjay, who sells sweaters and jackets, said he felt as if he had won a lottery. “I have reduced the prices of all items. Despite that, I have been earning Rs 1,000 every day compared with barely Rs 100 daily earlier,” he added.

The Times of India

2020-12-14

Delhi