Occupation: Fireworks vendor
Customer is king. So let me pack this for him and give him his change. Most customers are in a hurry. This time, I was able to open the counter only on Saturday. The government has been strict about issuing licences to sell firecrackers because of the tragedy in Kollam when many people were killed in a mishap involving firecrackers. So the authorities took their time before permitting us to open the stalls and we can open the outlet only after we procure the licence.
I run a small spare parts business for automobiles, which I inherited from my father. It is right here, beside this stall. A few years ago, I helped a friend of mine when he opened an outlet for selling fireworks for Deepavali. Since it was a profitable business, I decided to open such an outlet during the season. For the last seven years, I have been running this stall on Power House Road. This is my own place and so I don’t have to pay a rent.
The order for the fireworks has to be placed some six months prior to Deepavali. I have not bought any Chinese products. Everything is from Sivakasi. By now, I have a fair idea of what sells. We keep the place open for a few days after Deepavali as well. What I have noticed is that there is a sharp decrease in the demand for loud crackers. Now customers ask for fancy products like different kinds of sparklers, pin wheels, roll caps, toy guns and flower pots. The craze for loud crackers seems to be dying out. Even the demand for malappadakam, once a must for all those who celebrate Deepavali, has come down significantly.
See, these are new products this time and these are all sparklers of different kinds. Rockets still have takers.
To cater to customers and make up for lost time, I open shop at 7. 30 a.m. and then shut shop only after the last customer has finished buying. There is no fixed time as such. I seek the help of friends to deal with the rush. From Thursday onwards, it would be difficult to even talk to people. Such is the huge crowds frequenting shops selling fireworks.
Once, the festival season is over, I will go back to my routine business. I stay close by with my wife, Aswathi, and two sons. Aswathi is a homemaker. So I am the sole breadwinner in my family. At the age of 40, I can’t think of another job. I am a businessman and that is my livelihood.
(A weekly column on men and women who make Thiruvananthapuram what it is)
