Street Food Vendors: Pani Puri Vendors in Gandhinagar

          A visit to any street is incomplete without the aroma of street side snacks, the loud noises of the road side vendors and the hullabaloo of the food loving crowd. The culture of street food facilitated eating out in the open or on the move. Street becomes a communal space with the landscape of food invading its spaces. The process of selling food in food carts or trucks promoted the concept of mobility of food spaces. The concept of a mobile kitchen is crucial in the culture of street food since it maps the street spaces through the medium of food. Food carts map the busy city by catering to the city dweller’s appetite in multiple ways.

Street food culture in India is huge with cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore brimming with street food stalls and food lovers. The culture of road side eating can be traced back to the times of ancient Greeks when small fried fish was served as a street side snack. Historical sources suggest disregard for street food owing to its associations with people from low income backgrounds.In ancient Rome, street food was widely consumed by the urban poor who couldn’t afford to cook a full-fledged meal. However, with the passage of time, the concept of street food underwent changes, where it is no more frowned upon as food catering to the lower class appetite. In fact, it has become a commonplace eating platform that brings people from different strata of the society together in the common eating experience, thus making it a shared experience. The growing street food culture impacts and influences the culinary and cultural habits of people. 

Many of the delicacies that are sold at high end restaurants and food outlets once started off as road side or street side snacks. An example of this would be french fries, a snack that has surpassed all cultural and geographic boundaries. The reasons why women street vendors are proportionally less compared to men could be many. While in places like Nigeria and Thailand, women dominate in the trade of street food, cultural influences play a large role in determining the visibility of women as street food vendors. Insecurity and uncertainty associated with carrying out street side vending prevent a large section of women from being participants in this growing venture. The occupation of street vending, an informal sector that contributes to the economic and social well being of the urban population needs to be given more attention considering the safety and welfare issues that many vendors face. Street vending is sometimes chided off as a public nuisance, an encroachment into the public spaces, and as a source of unhealthy food products. Given the low capital requirements, potential mobility that it offers as a distribution channel of essential goods, a large struggling section of our society depend on street food vending for livelihood. It can also offer women a powerful incentive to start off an entrepreneurial opportunity, whereby they could sell their own products without any dependence.

 The informal setting (the road side), convenience (on the go eating experience), the fun associated with having a snack together and affordability add to the popularity of the street side snack. In the culturally rich and diverse environment of Gujarat, food occupies a major place. The communitarian spirit is reflected in the way street food is regarded by the people of Gujarat. The numerous food joints and the increasing crowd of people in the evening hours at chat centers and stalls are testimony to the love that people from Gujarat hold for street-food. Gujarat is home to a rich culinary tradition with the culture of street food eating as vibrant as in many other Indian cities. With many street side eateries catering to different cultural tastes, old Ahmedabad is home to food joints specialising not only in local Gujarati cuisine but cuisines from across the country. 
Pani puri which started off as a street side chat in moving carts now occupies a unique place in restaurants and five star hotels. The appeal that the snack exudes is evident from the huge demand it enjoys from the young and the old alike. The snack is believed to have originated in the Magada region of Bihar (South Bihar). Known by various names across different parts of India like golgappa, puchka, pakodi and gup chup, it is popular as a chat with a unique characteristic of its own. Pani, which is the major ingredient that gives it the name is available in different flavours- the spicy, tangy and the sweet. It can be seen as a snack that caters to the different tastes of the people and across cultures. The cart which carries the food is symbolic of the journey of panipuri vendors who cross borders in search of better opportunities and settle in alien soils. Most of the pani puri vendors who run business are migrants.

Panipuri vendors who earn a livelihood selling the snack become ‘the unrecognised chefs’ who feed the appetite of many chat lovers. The make shift cart containing the necessary ingredients for the preparation of the snack is often carried around various parts of the city. This marks a culinary map in the street space which is increasingly becoming food oriented with eateries, food outlets and joints, dotting the road sides and side-walks. Though the experience of relishing pani puri has been talked about and continues to be cherished, not much attention is paid to the person who skilfully dolls out the puris into each tiny plates with much expertise.

Street Vendors and the Urban Space

According to government data, around ten million street vendor population is recorded, which accounts for 2 percent of the total population in India. Low investment, unskilled labour, lack of opportunities in the home States are some of the contributing factors for the steady rise of migrant street food vendors in cities. The small scale business carried out in the nook and corners of the city plays a crucial role in feeding the urban poor. Studies have shown that a majority of the urban poor depend on street food as means of convenience and affordability. Mostly migrants from rural areas, street vendors bank on customers who want to grab something quick to eat especially working youth, school and college students. Carrying out their small enterprise on the busy urban streets, these migrant vendors in a way connect the urban and the rural by selling their food to a population which is heterogeneous in nature. The study of street food vendors in Dhaka by Benjamin Etzold points out the vulnerability that street food vendors face in the large urban spaces. The author also talks about the concept of translocal spaces and transcient urban spaces, brought to life through these street vendors. It is interesting to look at the position that the vendors themselves hold with respect to the place they have migrated to. It is clearly a ‘multiple place’ for them- a place where the urban and the rural clash.

 Having to work under poor living conditions and on a low wage income, the street side vendors face difficulty on multiple levels. Though there are organisations like National Association of Street Vendors in India (NASVI), located in Patna, Bihar, unions that look into the welfare of the street vendors, and laws like Street Vendors Act, 2014, enacted to protect the rights of the street vendors in India, a lot of them live a life of hardship.

Notes from the field:

The pani puri vendor picks out a perfect, round puri, fills it up with a little aloo masala, sprinkles it with the right amount coriander leaves and onion before he dips it in a large jar of pani of my choice, all in a matter of few seconds. 
I have always watched the pani puri vendor at work with a lot of fascination. The short ethnographic enquiry into the lives of a few pani puri vendors is a testament to the craft of the pani puri walla who completes the picture of the Indian street.

An ethnographic study of six pani puri vendors was carried out on 13^th November 2016 in order to get a glimpse of the life at the other end of the pani puri stall. The location was around sector 20, near the Akshardham temple road and Krishnakunj area near Infocity. The life of these street food vendors opens up a whole new world charged with stories of dreams and aspirations. The aim of the study was to look at India’s most popular snack from the perspective of its sellers. The excitement of indulging in the snack, available in different flavours depending on the pani and sauces it uses is seen in conjunction with those men who skilfully and swiftly dole out the pani puri to satisfy the craving of the chat lovers.

In all the six stalls that we (me and my hindi speaking friend) visited on a busy Sunday evening, vendors had been migrants, mostly having come from Uttar Pradesh. Stalls were also run by people from Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Leaving their home towns in search of work and better living opportunities, these workers have shifted to Gandhinagar to sow their dreams. Mostly, they earn around 200-300 Rs profit a day and their working hours are confined to six to seven hours, normally beginning in the afternoon around three p.m. They either continue their family legacy of street food vending or rely on some relatives to help them start off the street food venture.

Out of the six people whom we talked to, only one seemed content with the job. Others do it either because they have no other option or because they find good prospects for street vending in the city of Gandhinagar compared to the place they come from. The value of education was realised by almost all the vendors. This was evident from the way they responded to the questions being asked about their children’s educations and future plans. Selling of pani-puris is also a part time job, considering it is only during the afternoon hours that the chat is sold. Once the ingredients are prepared and kept ready, the business of selling is done at convenience. Among the sellers, one of them was a school boy who starts selling the puris after his school. This is done along with his brother, both of whom are migrants from Rajasthan. The losing appetite for pani puri in Rajasthan was cited as one of the reasons why they have shifted to Gandhinagar. Assistance from relatives or friends or family is sought when they move to new city place in search of job prospects.

The turn of career to food did not have a relation with the love or passion for food. Selling such street side snacks is seen as an easy means to earn money. The business of selling panipuri is also convenient for them as the materials, if sourced properly and carefully would be a durable option. Considering the immense popularity the snack has gained in most Indian streets, the number of customers that line up in pani puri stalls will never dwindle. But a sneak speak into the lives of most of these vendors reveal heart wrenching stories of disappointment. Having to live with meagre wages that they earn each day and pay for the hefty rents, these men lead difficult lives.

 One Snack and Six Stories: A Photo Story of Six Pani Puri Vendors in Gandhinagar

That's Shivani collecting stories for me

 Hailing from Uttar Pradesh, the 48 year old has been selling pani puris for the last 17 years, near Rakshasakti Circle, Gandhinagar. He came to Gujarat after having left his family who earns their livelihood through means of agriculture. It is with the help of his relatives who run pani puri stalls in sector 2 that he came to Gujarat. Accompanied by his son, who joins the business when he is free after school, pani puris are sold for Rs 10 per plate. The customers include employees, students, workers etc. The common factor that drives all of them is the love for pani puri. His job of selling the snack starts by around 12 pm and goes on till 8 pm in the night. His mornings are spent preparing the puris and the masala at his home. At the end of the day, he earns a profit of 200 Rs. With a meagre amount of profit, he doesn’t want his son to continue his father’s path. 

 

A boy in his nineth grade who runs a pani puri stall with a neatly stacked array of jars does this small business along with his brother near Krishnakunj area. His business starts after school at around 2 pm and goes on till 9 pm. Along with his family, who shifted from Rajasthan 12 months ago, the boys sees business prospects in the street food loving culture of Gujarat. Ingredients for the chat are sourced with the help of a friend and he earns a profit of 500 Rs each day. Twelve months into the business which has caught the attention of many pani puri lovers, he says that with a monthly rent of Rs 3000, he and his family is disappointed with the job and would look out for better opportunities in other job sectors. Enquired about his love for the snack, the boy stated that he doesn’t like it. Dedicated in the work that he does, he was smart enough to enquire about the need for an ethnographic enquiry into their lives and was concerned when asked for his photograph.

 Hailing from Uttar Pradesh, this pani puri vendor has been in business for the last 14years in Gandhinagar.  He relocated his cart to Krishnakunj locality, Infopark area, expecting better business. He has been working here for the last two years. Most of his family and relatives have migrated to Gujarat and are running food stalls in various places in and around Gandhinagar. He confesses his love for food as one of the reasons for him being in the business of selling street food. His business starts at 4 pm in the evening and goes on till 8 or 9 pm depending upon the customers. The ingredients are sourced and prepared by himself in the morning hours. His customers mostly include students from Nift, NID etc. When asked about his visits home, he admits that he goes home every 5-6 months. Earning around 300 Rs per day, he doesn’t see much prospects in the business of selling pani puris. He wants his two daughters to pursue education and settle for a job.

 Hailing from Madhya Pradesh, this man has been selling pani puris near Akshardam temple road for the last 14 years. Having left the agriculture business back at home, he turned to selling this road side snack in search of better prospects in life in Gujarat. Helped by his Uncle in setting up this small business in Gujarat, he feels there are no job opportunities back at home in Madhya Pradesh. He considers selling pani puris only as a part time job which he pursues on Saturdays and Sundays, days when there is a peek in the number of customers. On week days, he works in Udhyogbhavan. A class ten drop out, this man is not satisfied with the job of selling pani puris. He confesses that he gets a profit of hardly 300-400 Rs a day and doesn’t want his children to continue his business.

 Originally from Rajasthan, he has been running his pani puri stall for the last 12 years on the Akshardam temple road. Bustling with pani puri lovers in his small stall at 7 o’clock on a Saturday evening, he says that he feels happy with what he does. A profit of around 300 Rs is earned after a day’s business. As he shared his story, he handed over a plate of six pani puris served with a dash of sweet curd. As we gobbled up the puris, I could see a couple of chairs just outside his stall for the customers to sit down and enjoy the chat. Each plate is sold for Rs 15 per plate. His forefathers migrated to Gujarat trying their hand at various food ventures in different places in and around Gandhinagar. The ingredients for the snack are sourced and prepared by him with the help of his family members. With his family settled in Gujarat, he rarely finds the need to make visits to his home State in Rajasthan, except during occasions. Asked about his future plans, he says that he will continue with this job, even though he doesn’t want his children to take on after his profession.