Occupation: Vendor of pooja materials
Every one calls me Raji. It is only in my school records that I am Rajeswari. So I feel odd when people call me Rajeswari. I came to the city after my marriage soon after I completed my Plus Two from Chennai. My mother and brother continue to live in Chennai. My husband, Krishnadas, was then running a small business. Now, my husband works in Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple.
Five years ago, I started this small outlet for pooja materials, a little away from Vazhapalli junction to supplement our income.
Take a look and decide what is it that you want for your Kolu this year. We have gifts, dolls, all the things for the pooja such as turmeric, kumkum, camphor... There are figurines of gods and goddesses in terracotta and papier mache and each has been selected with care. We are all set for Navarathri, the season when I am busiest at my shop, Vigneshwara. It has been named after my only son, Vignesh, a student of class 10.
Six months prior to the festival I start stocking for Navarathri. My mother, husband and I travel to different places in Tamil Nadu to buy everything that we need. We get it from villages near Kanchipuram, Madurai and Chennai where these dolls and gift items are made and so we know where to get the best things. Look at these tiny, pretty skirts in artificial silk with zari. This is much in demand as an offering for the Goddess.
Look at those cute boxes... we buy them separately and those silvery and gold coloured cloth bags separately. I put some of the gifts in bags to give an idea to customers. This is that time of the year when women visit each other for pooja and gifts are given. So I have got gifts ranging from Rs. 10 to 1,000.
This is a hectic time for us when I open shop from 9 a.m to 9 p.m. and sometimes till 10 p.m. Since I live just behind the house, I am able to manage the shop and our home. My mother has come from Chennai to help me with this period.
Vishu is another festival when we get a lot of customers. Then we stock figurines, big and small, of Lord Krishna. You have to stock what customers need. All through the year, we supply pooja materials. If there is a pooja in your house, all you have to do is give us a list of the things you need. We can source everything for you and all you have to do is come and get it from here. If there is an emergency, we can also deliver it at your doorstep.
Financially, we were going through a difficult period when I decided to begin a shop. For the last two to three years, we have been able to find a niche. Now this is my life. I finish my cooking in the morning and am in the shop after that.
Yes, I also have a kolu at home. After I close the sales here, I have to go home and get things ready for mine.
(A weekly column on men and women who make Thiruvananthapuram what it is)
