Vegetable seller my lane

 

Ajeet is a vegetable seller at this side walk of the Kandivali. He is an interstate migrant. His mother tongue is hindi, slightly bent to his native bhojpuri. He lives here all by self. Family is back at home. He has set up his shop below the multi-storey of a society. He gives an unofficial rent to the builder guy who takes care that he sticks at the place without any interruptions. 

Anyway, he seems temporarily settled here. He remains seated under the cool shed of the tarpaulin. He has fast befriended the security person who sits by the gate near his shop. They chat during the high heat of no customer footfall. During the afternoon, he shuts his shop for 3 hours. He takes rest during that time. 

Ajeet is now offering to deliver the vegetables at the door. He takes order to the nearby buildings and society. But he won’t deliver during the evening. That time is a busy foot schedule. The shop would be busy with people in the light evening.

I have started to buy my vegetables from this point only. I would do a little chit chat. He would share some of his life and we would talk a little. 

I come to think what a settled life would seem to be. There would be people who know you now and then. They would see you grow up, falling sick, fall, get succeeded and so on. You get surrounded and does it make you more connected? May be.. I keep reading how the urban populace is dealing with the increased factor of loneliness. Hmmmmm…