Indore: Since the coronavirus outbreak, the only tunes floating in the air are “safety” and “fight the virus”. With shutdown of schools to control the spread of Covid-19, many teachers—especially music teachers—have been out of a job.
Finding a new rhythm of life in these challenging times, music teachers in the city are now running vada pav centres and cafés, and even selling vegetables. Chatting with this new generation of small business owners, we hear their tales of battling corona and transformations.
‘Cultural vada pav’
"Music teaches us to be passionate about life and makes the best of twists. So, with a twist of corona, I decided to bring authentic and cultural vada pav for Indoreans through my small start-up," says Inder Prajapat, vada pav seller.
‘Adapt to new life’
"Coronavirus has presented us with a challenge. This challenge has made survival difficult for most of us. However, we must adapt and accept the new way of life. So, after struggling initially, I have my own online marketing set-up now," remarks Ankur Verma, online marketer.
Navin Rana—Learning from tough times |
‘Alternative income’
"With all the schools being shut, subjects like music have taken a backseat. With no income and having struggled for months, we had to come up with something that works. So, we decided to use our skills to make food. Since shops were closed, our homemade namkeens got an edge in the market and became our alternative income forever," comments Sanjay Jagtap, homemade namkeen-seller.
'Learn from tough times'
"We can either learn from our tough times or cry over spilt milk. My family and I decided to launch out on a new journey. Since schools don’t require the services of music teachers like me anymore, we had to find something else. We watched the trend in the market and started our very own café. Everyone needs such a place today with good food and ambience," Navin Rana, café owner remarks.
‘Newfound identity’
"When everything was shut, all we needed was basic food, water and shelter. Many people in Indore are vegetarians and vegetables are an essential part of our diet here. So, looking at the market trends, we had to change our tune from music to market. We started off with a small vegetable trading business. Now, we’re quite settled in this newfound identity," says Jitu Gajbhiye, vegetable vendor.
