Slice Of Life: ‘I wish people supported roadside stalls like mine’

My family was based in Thanjavur. But a few years after I was born, my family shifted to Chennai and have been living in Tambaram. As my father could not afford to pay my school fees, I dropped out of school after Class 3. I started to work with him in the fruit shop in Tambaram market. As years passed, I got married and had three children. Currently, I am running a fruit stall at the very same place my father began in Tambaram market. As I grew older, I could not go to the Koyambedu market every day to buy fruits. Hence, one of my relatives is helping me by going to the Koyambedu market every day at 4 am to buy fresh fruits. My stall provides only fresh fruits to the customers. I open my stall at 9.30 am and close it by 10 pm. It was a long-time dream to construct my own house. Recently, I started to build a house in Sriperumbudur. The works would be over soon, and I would achieve my goal. Nowadays, my business has become very dull because many people do not prefer to buy fruits from roadside stalls. I wish people support roadside shops. My son is working as a temporary staff in a private firm. Now my goal in life now is to get my children married and make them settled in their lives.