“I am little disappointed that business is rather slow today; it’s usually at a peak during weekends. Most of my customers are office goers who stop at my wayside stall to munch fresh guavas.
I have been selling guavas for more than 20 years in Vijayawada. It is very nutritious and is one of the few fruits that can be grown around the year.
When I came to this spot in the late 90s, the traffic was very less and most of my customers used to be harried commuters making their way to the streets with wase. Now, I mostly cater to people who stay in the many apartments and Singhi Nagar.
My relatives think that I have an easy job and do not care much about quality. But that’s not true. I need to ensure that the fruits are fresh. Transporting fruits is the most difficult task and takes up a lot of time. We also have to deal with traffic cops and VMC officials regularly.
Do I make any profit these days? Well, the big stores and supermarkets selling fresh fruits do impact my business. However, I am thankful to my customers who come back to me for fresh fruits and on a good day, I make enough to keep my family running!”