It's a hey-day for Akhlakh Miah
Tuesday, 30 December 2008
FE Report
For Akhlakh Miah, the elections day was a boon.
The 32-year-old hawker, who scratches out his living by selling jhal muri and chanachur at New Market area, has made a windfall, with his sales surpassing Tk 1300.
His site selection was also meticulous. He has been thinking for the site for weeks. Ultimately, he made up his mind to peddle the popular item at Dhaka City College area. At 7-30 am, he turned up the venue to assess the situation whether regular vendors could oppose his usual location shift. But nobody opposed. He felt assured.
"The site selection was really good," Miah says. "I was told by one of my regular customers that Sheikh Hasina will cast her vote at City College centre. Then, I instantly decided to come here," he told this correspondent as he handed a packet to a female buyer.
Never has Miah, who hails from Shariatpur, rung up sales in such a big amount in his occupation that spans more than five years.
"It's a record sale. The sale I made was beyond my imagination," he added.
"People (voters) were really crazy. Before noon, they emptied out my jhal muri," a smiling Miah said.
Bangladesh went to the first democratic polls Monday in seven years, amid festivity and peaceful atmosphere, not seen since the country's independence in 1971.
The interim administration, aided by military, announced the day a public holiday and the city's shops, mega shopping malls and markets were closed on the occasion of polls.
That prompted hundreds of youths to throng to the Miahs who survive on selling multiple food items.
Like Miah, it was also a brisk business for Jamila Khatun who prepares pithas on the Dhaka University campus. "I'm happy. Sales are good," she said.
Other hawkers also made hefty sales on the day, cashing in on the closure of fast food outlets across the capital.
An estimated half a million hawkers and vendors operate diverse types of small businesses, mainly on the city's footpaths. They sell jhal muri, chanachur, pithas, clothes, footwear, toys and other fancy items, making them a part of the capital's informal economy.
"I saw Sheikh Hasina coming out of the centre. Besides the sales boom, it was a personal enjoyment for me, too," Miah said.
For Akhlakh Miah, the elections day was a boon.
The 32-year-old hawker, who scratches out his living by selling jhal muri and chanachur at New Market area, has made a windfall, with his sales surpassing Tk 1300.
His site selection was also meticulous. He has been thinking for the site for weeks. Ultimately, he made up his mind to peddle the popular item at Dhaka City College area. At 7-30 am, he turned up the venue to assess the situation whether regular vendors could oppose his usual location shift. But nobody opposed. He felt assured.
"The site selection was really good," Miah says. "I was told by one of my regular customers that Sheikh Hasina will cast her vote at City College centre. Then, I instantly decided to come here," he told this correspondent as he handed a packet to a female buyer.
Never has Miah, who hails from Shariatpur, rung up sales in such a big amount in his occupation that spans more than five years.
"It's a record sale. The sale I made was beyond my imagination," he added.
"People (voters) were really crazy. Before noon, they emptied out my jhal muri," a smiling Miah said.
Bangladesh went to the first democratic polls Monday in seven years, amid festivity and peaceful atmosphere, not seen since the country's independence in 1971.
The interim administration, aided by military, announced the day a public holiday and the city's shops, mega shopping malls and markets were closed on the occasion of polls.
That prompted hundreds of youths to throng to the Miahs who survive on selling multiple food items.
Like Miah, it was also a brisk business for Jamila Khatun who prepares pithas on the Dhaka University campus. "I'm happy. Sales are good," she said.
Other hawkers also made hefty sales on the day, cashing in on the closure of fast food outlets across the capital.
An estimated half a million hawkers and vendors operate diverse types of small businesses, mainly on the city's footpaths. They sell jhal muri, chanachur, pithas, clothes, footwear, toys and other fancy items, making them a part of the capital's informal economy.
"I saw Sheikh Hasina coming out of the centre. Besides the sales boom, it was a personal enjoyment for me, too," Miah said.