Some of them rely on their physical abilities to fill their belly, while, some others depend on their mental abilities.

While, for some, their oration skills is the best to bank upon for earning a livelihood and some use their skills and expertise of their hands and feet to earn a living out of it. While there are some, who do not have either money to invest in a business or education to rely upon. For them, some of the traditional skills which have been handed over to them, from generations, come to rescue.

Here is one such example, a group of agricultural labourers who have arrived from Uttar Pradesh, are selling honey in the City. They earn their livelihood by selling honey here, since, honey selling does not require capital of any kind, nor any educational background.

These agricultural labourers roam from area to area in search of bee-hives. They pluck beehives from some of the tall buildings and sell honey to the customers. And they sell some of the best and pure honey. This honey is neither adulterated, since, these people are so profound in their business that there cannot be any step which can go wrong. 

Customers are wary of the fact that honey can be adulterated. However, these men are quick to demonstrate the difference between pure and adulterated honey. They show how to identify adulterated honey. Despite their lack of academic qualifications, they are apt at demonstrating the test to identify the right kind of honey.

Demonstration
They conduct different tests right in front of the customers. They smear honey on a 100-rupee note and burn the side on which it is coated. The honey goes up into smoke, while the note remains untouched, uncharred by the fumes. If the honey is adulterated, then the note burns.

Further, if a drop of honey is dropped on a cloth, the drop slides down, without sticking to the cloth. If it sticks to the cloth, then it is adulterated honey.

Testing it
If a drop of honey is put in a glass of water, then pure honey settles down at the bottom. If it is adulterated honey, it melts in water. These are some of the tests conducted by these people.

None of the team members are educated nor professionally trained. All of them are agricultural labourers and have come to the City only to sell honey. They do not own fields to till, nor have any other source of income.

Plucking beehives is a traditional family occupation. They have learnt it from their fathers and grandfathers. They have mastered their skills by going along with them. And now this has become their source of income, says Mohammad Fairoz.

One person climbs the tall building, with a rope firmly tightened around their waist, and the other end of the rope is with another person who holds on carefully. One of them positions below the beehive and sets smoke below the beehive. All the bees fly away from the hives and he plucks the hive and collects it in a bucket which dangling to rope, from the waist.

Bee-stings
The act is not with risk. During the process, they get stinged by the bees on several occasions. “We have become immune to the bee-stings,” says Fairoz.

The climbing has to be done carefully, even a step here and there will cause death. Sometimes, they have to pluck the hives from some of the most dangerous spots. Thus, the members are all prepared for the risk that is involved in the profession.Most of the times, these members visit Hubli, Dharwad and other places and collect the hives and sell them here. Usually, honey is available for five months from the month of October. So, only during these months they are found plucking and collecting honey.

And the rest of the time, these people rush back to their native and work as labourers, says Fairoz.

They earn around Rs 500 to Rs 600 per day by selling honey. “We have our food in the hotels and sleep at the Masjids. Whatever remains of our earnings, is saved and sent to our people at our native places,” the youth members express.