Sambalpur: The streets are still dark and most people are in deep sleep, but there is hectic activity in some parts of the city. Men, young and old, are busy bundling loads of newspapers as fast as they can. They are racing to finish their job before the city wakes up.
Newspaper hawkers are the faceless soldiers who beat all odds, be it rain or chill, to deliver newspapers at the doorsteps of people.
Sarat Kumar Nayak, 37, a newspaper hawker with a sweet smile on his face, gets up before 4 am in Sambalpur district. Sarat, who has his spot at the Sambalpur old bus stand started work at 16. He continued his Plus Two studies along with newspaper distribution.
He says, “I have not missed a single day of work. I don’t think that this is a minor job. My job has made my life regular.”
All these years his cycle was his trusty companion. Today it’s part of his job and identity. Fitness, he says, is a by-product of his job.
He goes to his customers’ houses at the end of every month to collect his charges. The customers welcome him saying ‘How are you Sarat? He says this connects him to his customers with a sense of love and affection.
Sarat reaches the Sambalpur old bus stand at 5 am. Then he starts collecting newspapers from different agents. He takes 60 newspapers on his cycle and gives 540 newspapers to others who work under him.
He starts his job of distributing newspapers from 6 am to 7 am. He distributes newspapers at various shops, coaching centres, schools and residential houses in the Gola Bazaar area. He returns to the bus stand at 8 am and discusses the news with other hawkers.
He collects money from customers during the day. In the afternoon he spends time with his family.
Sarat is a traditional Sambalpuri dancer too. He learnt Sambalpuri songs and dance from Prafulla Behera and Ranjan Kumar Sahoo respectively. In his debut, he presented ‘Dhapa’ at Guwahati in Assam.
“I am a regular artiste in the Doordarshan channel of the state government. I represent Western Odisha culture on national television,” he said.
Sarat has made it a regular practice to check his daily accounts before going to bed. He says that he started business with 200 newspapers a day. But now it has touched 600.
When Sarat was asked about the impact of Internet on newspapers, he replied, “With the advent of Internet, news is just a click away. But I am happy with my job as it is my family’s livelihood.”
Sarat said it is the affection of his customers that encouraged him to take up newspaper distribution.
