The rain fell unceasingly but it meant nothing to Pramod. People walked past his stall not giving a second thought to the young sandwich-maker, but every now and then someone would stop under his giant umbrella to order something.
While most street vendors had packed up their goods in the torrential rains and disappeared into the safety of their homes, Pramod stayed put on the pavement of Loafer’s Lane near Mount Carmel College.
His stall has ‘Bombay Sandwiches’ written in fading red letters. But if one hasn’t memorised his menu already, he hands them a neatly laminated menu with his menu typed on it.
He came to the City 13 years ago looking for a job and an opportunity to make a living for himself. “I’m from Bihar originally. I started this sandwich business about five years back. Before that, I used to be a cook in a house,” he says.
He prefers being self-employed. “I’ve never wanted to work in hotels because they don’t pay well. I don’t get along well in that environment,” he says. In the tiny stall, he has a kerosene burner, a small grill that can accommodate one sandwich at a time and various types of seasoning.
His most popular item is the ‘chilly cheese sandwich’ for which he finely dices green chillies and adds a layer of green chutney, grated Amul cheese and ‘aloo bhujia’.
He never forgets to cut the sandwich into four before handing it over to the customer.
Is his family with him? He says that the City is too expensive to house his whole family and he visits them every six months. But he knows it’s also a good place to make money. “I stay on this road because I get lots of customers here.” He refers to the girls of Mount Carmel College who are a big fan of his sandwiches.
Aditi Kapoor used to study at the college a year back but she still reminisces about Pramod’s sandwiches and visits him whenever she can. “I love the different kinds of sandwiches he makes and the cool ways he cuts it into pieces with that bhujia on top. My favourite is his chilly cheese sandwich,” she says. Gowri, also a student from the college, says she loves his ‘aloo cheese’ sandwich.
He also makes chocolate sandwich, chocolate cheese sandwich, jam toast, banana jam toast and more. He can be contacted on 808843589.
