Today, my heart is filled with sadness. A painful real-life experience has compelled me to write these words.
For many years, a young man from Dhemaji has been visiting our home to sell Mekhela Chadors, the traditional dress of Assam. Every year, he comes with hope in his heart, dreaming of selling a few clothes and earning enough to support his family. But this Durga Puja, his hopes have been shattered. His sales were so poor that he did not even have enough money to return home. Finally, he had to ask us for just ₹100.
His helplessness touched me deeply. He told me that people were no longer buying Mekhela Chadors from him because they could easily purchase them online. He has spent his life doing this small business and has no experience of any other work. Today, he is worried about how he will earn a living and feed his family.
While the world is celebrating Durga Puja with lights, new clothes and happiness, this hardworking man is struggling even to find the money to go home. His story raises a painful question: Is this the price a small vendor must pay for trying to earn an honest living?
Look at the changing world around us. Before Jio arrived, a recharge of just ₹10 could provide incoming call service for one month. Later, many people switched to Jio because of its free calling offers. Today, in many cases, keeping mobile services active requires a monthly recharge of around ₹200. This reminds us that things that seem cheap or free today may become costly tomorrow. Similarly, if we allow our local businesses to disappear because of online offers and low prices, who knows what difficulties we may face in the future?
There is nothing wrong with online shopping. It is convenient and often offers good prices. But we must not forget the small shopkeepers and travelling vendors who depend on our purchases to feed their families. For them, this is not just a business. It is their livelihood, their self-respect and their hope for a better future.
This Durga Puja, while we enjoy the festival and buy new clothes, let us spare a thought for those who are struggling to survive. Behind every small vendor, there may be a family waiting for him to return home with some earnings. A business that seems small to us may be the only source of food and hope for an entire family.
Let us not allow the convenience of online shopping to make us forget the pain of those who earn their living through hard work. Because when a small business dies, it is not just a business that disappears—someone’s dreams, livelihood and hope may disappear with it.