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PIN IT UP

City’s own poster women

Nina C George

They are the poster women of Bangalore City. Not because they sell posters. But because they dot the crowded streets of the shopping districts and go about their business, showcasing the resilience of the City’s underbelly...

They are the poster women of Bangalore City. Not because they sell posters. But because they dot the crowded streets of the shopping districts and go about their business, showcasing the resilience of the City’s underbelly.

Street smart, sharp-tongued and quick to reply, these women are mostly found on M G Road, Commercial Street, Brigade Road, Majestic and Chamarajpet to mention a few areas, selling posters sporting messages which mean nothing to them.

Seemingly grim faced, they sell posters with messages like: “Smile a lot it costs nothing; Be positive; Be an optimist; Do not disturb and Great minds at work.”

“We start our day at seven in the morning. We can’t read a word of what is written on the poster. We haven’t even made an attempt to learn to read. What matters at the end of the day is that we get enough money to feed ourselves and live a fairly decent life,” says Sunitha, a poster-seller on M G Road.

The women earn close to Rs 200 on weekdays and up to Rs 500 on weekends. They source the poster from a company in Delhi for Rs 5 a piece and sell them for Rs 10.

Family business

“My family has been in this business for as long as I can remember. So without a second thought I joined the business. Education and school are a luxury for us,” says Lakshmi Nath, another poster-seller near Majestic bus stand.

These poster-sellers are usually women. The apparent reasoning is that they have a lot more forbearance when it comes to sitting under the scorching sun. These women confess that the police harass them and to save their meagre earnings from the corrupt policemen, they are perpetually on the move, looking out for a new place for business everyday.

“Every time we settle down in a particular spot where we think we might get good business, the policemen drive us out. This way we lose out on a lot of prospective customers. We move out for the time being and return to the same spot after the police are gone. It’s like a hide and seek game for us. But we manage to pull it off,” says Rehka, another poster-seller on Commercial Street.

The police don’t spare any vendors on the pavements. One often sees the police chase after these people.

“You use the pavements to walk and not sell stuff. Vendors are not permitted to sit and sell their wares on pavements. These vendors need to get the permission of the Corporation if they are to do so,” said M A Saleem, DCP Traffic East.

He adds that the police definitely book cases against these vendors under the Karnataka Police Act for obstruction of footpath and freeway. But that hasn’t made a difference so far. “Violations continue unabated,” says Saleem.

He also said that stringent action is taken against the policemen who connive with these vendors.