Pandemic lockdown forces advocate to sell tea to make a living

Dressed in a neatly pressed advocate’s robe, 69-year-old SA Syed Haroon pedals for some kilometres to sell tea in areas around his residence. After practising for over 40 years in various courts across the state, he began his new venture on Friday. The advocate was spotted selling tea in Sampath Nagar.

Left with no work since lockdown and nil earnings, Haroon said that he took to selling tea in order to make ends meet. “I exhausted all my savings and now it is challenging to meet out even my family’s day to day expenses. Hence it struck upon me to sell tea, which doesn’t require much investment,” he said.

A resident of Thiru Nagar Colony in Erode, Haroon said that advocates were among the most affected lot due to the closure of courts. “Only important cases were now being taken up for hearing through video conferencing. That too, doesn’t fetch a proper income for the advocates unlike physical hearing,” he said.

Expressing the hope of making a decent income through selling tea, Haroon said “At the end of the day, I am hopeful of going home with at least Rs 500.”

Also, highlighting his demand for financial assistance from the government, Haroon has placed two placards on his cycle appealing for a financial aid of Rs 10,000 and Rs 1 lakh loan to each advocate rendered jobless due to lock down.

He also wanted the government to ensure safety measures in court for complete resumption of their services.