Unlucky streak shatters street vendor’s dream

Here’s a story quite resonant with the times we live in — of unemployment and the struggle to make ends meet. Many are losing out like this vegetable vendor, whose dream of upgrading his trade ended on a bad note. 

Suresh G K, 41, came up in life competing with e-commerce giants, earning Rs 500 a day selling vegetables in his small shop. He rented the shop after being evicted by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) from a footpath he had set up shop in Kamalanagar near Basaveshwara Nagar. 

Suresh had to take care of his family — a 6-year-old son, an 11-year-old daughter, wife and parents. He convinced his wife that he would do well in the vegetable business if he purchased a goods auto-rickshaw. 

His wife, over the past four years, had saved up for the children’s school fees. The couple used the money as down payment and bought a brand new goods auto worth Rs 2.20 lakh. The rest of the money came from a loan. 

The accident

One day, dreaming of his flourishing business, Suresh was riding his new auto-rickshaw with a temporary registration plate, taking it for alteration work to stack vegetables. But fate had something else in the store. 

To avoid a bike that was about to collide head-on with his auto and to save a child perched on the petrol tank of that bike, Suresh veered to the side but collided with a stationary Maruti Ritz. 

Car owner Raghu seized the auto and demanded Rs 15,000 for repairs. Until Suresh brought the money, Raghu would not release the vehicle. 

Since Raghu did not have space to park the auto, he sent it to his sister’s house in Annapurneshwari Nagar. Suresh scrambled and arranged the money, but sadly his mother was hospitalised. Suresh told Raghu that he could give only Rs 10,000. 

Raghu agreed and said Suresh could collect the auto the following day.

Auto stolen

A relieved Suresh was about to leave his house the next day when he received a call from Raghu, asking if he had already taken the auto. Suresh said no. 

As fate would have it, the auto was stolen. Later, Suresh, along with the car owner,  searched for the auto, but in vain. Suresh approached the Basaveshwara Nagar police on March 12 and filed a complaint of theft. 

He is now back on the footpath selling vegetables.