See the photo on the left, a middle-aged samosa seller, with a stylish cap and the 'khizab' dyed oranged* beard sits under the shade of the tree and dozes off. Another samosa-seller sits under the same tree with the skull cap on.
The elder one seems to care least for the world around that moves at a frantic pace. I saw him reach the park with the samosas.
These samosas are not stuffed with potatoes. Rather they are filled with 'daal' and 'qeema'. The cost is same, Rs 2 each. Some kids who are playing in the park buy them. Two kids buy one samosa and each share half of it. That's the joy of childhood (especially in poor India where kids don't order bugers and pizzas on phone and this is an area close to a poor Muslim ghetto).
If somebody has Rs 5, he will give you 3 samosas. It's zohr time, the muezzin's call. Now the youths playing cricket have gone to the mosque. The 20-30 children who were watchig the game, have also left. The samosa-seller doesn't seem to be a person who will offer namaz five times or may be can't leave the samosas outside.
The other samosa wala mutters something and then sits on the other side of the same tree. Both know each other but there is no business talk. It's their routine. They seem quite content with their world. For them it's life as usual. I don't have camera, take snap from my cell phone camera.
No maddening pace, mobile phone calls, tasks and targets, boss' harassment or frustration over lesser salary hike. I return an hour later. The two are still there. The kids are back. They have sold more samosas. I also buy a few and talk to the elder one who is more like a hero. He has brought more daal samosas because meat is getting costlier. But there is no complaint in his voice.
They are quite happy with their lives. Who can pass a judgment on them. If somebody says they lack enterpreneural skills, don't try to improve in order to keep pace with the world to increase their earning, that's all useless. The make it at home and sell it, making rounds in by-lanes. No need to rent shop or worry about electricity bills et al. They are satisfied. Perhaps more than many of us.
Earlier, I had done a post on Chacha Miyan, the samosa-seller.
(*Khizab, the henna or mehndi is more used among Muslims to dye the hair)
