Street vendors in the area are not satisfied with the sales of the first two days, they say.
The Kadlekai Parishe which officially began on Sunday, December 10, 2023 is proving to be a boon for the auto drivers in the Basavanagudi area and around.
Basavaraju, an auto driver in Basavanagudi said his ridership has increased several folds since the parishe started. He said, “Yesterday after 4 p.m., I was in the area till 10 p.m. and was constantly engaged as bookings kept coming in. I made a good profit yesterday, so did other auto drivers in the area.”
Another auto driver Mukesh, who works for Namma Yatri said, “Yes. The ridership has increased in the last few days. Online and offline bookings are coming in more than usual days in the area, but it is only so after the evening.”
Pattabhi Rama, organizing secretary of the Bangalore Auto Driver’s Union said, “There is a slight increase in the ridership, around 20-40 percent, the prices are same as we charge normally. But due to traffic from one kilometer of the parishe ground, the commute in the area is becoming a problem.”
The street vendors in the Kadlekai Parishe however have not made expected profits.
Kannamma, a groundnut vendor on the outer road said, “Today I have made no sales. It is very disappointing. Yesterday also I only made Rs. 100. If there is more crowd today, I might make some profit.”
Ganesh, another street vendor on the outer junction road confirmed that the sales are negligible compared to previous years.
Satish, a groundnut vendor on the end of the Bull Temple Road said, “You see, there are so many people on this road despite that the sales are very low. In these two days I have hardly made any profit. I don’t know why it is so.”
All India Street Vendors Trust president, Mohammad Javed said, “We are facing problems in the Kadlekai Parishe this time. There is a good enough footfall but the sales are not matching it but we are expecting it to get better today and tomorrow.”
Sudha, a groundnut and handicrafts seller, in front of the Bull Temple on the other hand was ecstatic about the sales she made. “I have made a good profit in these two days. I have sold more than 50 kg of groundnuts and made good profits with the handicrafts too. I have sold items worth around Rs.10,000 since the start of the fair.”
The experiences have been different for most in the fair but the groundnut vendors are hopeful that their sales will get better in the remaining days.
The Basavanagudi Kadlekai Parishe is the annual groundnut fair held near the Dodda Ganesha Temple. The fair is organized to offer groundnuts and other things to the Basava or the Bull to seek blessings.
