Journalism of Courage
In the last 10 years,the Tamboli community’s business of selling betel leaves has dropped by almost 50 per cent
Amidst the bustling and crowded bylanes surrounding the Mahatma Phule Mandai is a street devoid of the usual cacophony. In this part of Mandai,vendors don’t call out to their customers,nor do the constant ‘to-sell’ slogans ring through. A green cover greets you as one approaches the neatly lined space of the betel leaf sellers. Seated along the corridor wall are several tiny stalls lined with baskets of betel leaves. Hanging from their respective stalls are pots of different creepers. “This is just to make this place look good,” says 50-year-old Zarak Tamboli,one of the first sellers in the row. “It’s not pan-patti,but so similar so we all have planted them.” As one walks along the wall,every little stall has several plants hanging from the stall ceiling or placed around the counter.
Every Sunday and Wednesday,these leaves come to the Mandai from Kolhapur and Sangli. Due to the volume of the business,many vendors only buy them once a week. “That is enough sometimes,” says Ismail Abdul Tamboli. “In the last 10 years,the business has gone down by 50 per cent. ” He cites the same reasons for the decrease as Revan.
For six months in a year,these leaves are procured from places like Satara in Maharashtra. For the next six months,starting from March,these vendors source it from small villages in Andhra Pradesh. The high point for most of these vendors are festivals. “Earlier,our main buyers were the paan kiosk owners. But their count has gone down now. We look forward to a festival,for it ensures a good business,” says Ismail as he picks up a newspaper to pass away a dull day.
