Pani Puri vendor earns a tidy income

Dhenkanal: “I hail from Samastipur in Bihar. I was 13 when I came to Dhenkanal. My uncle, Mahesh Kumar, who used to sell pani puri (gupchup) and is now an auto driver, accompanied me on this journey. At that time, income was not on my agenda. I wanted to be with him and enjoy my time,” said Laxman Kumar. ”I agreed immediately when my uncle said we could sell pani puris here and make a good profit,” he said.

Laxman said he has spent 21 years in Dhenkanal. “Dhenkanal customers are friendly with me,” he said. “I have picked up Odia. Like me, there are many pani puri wallahs on this route. They are all natives of Bihar. In Dhenkanal, I share a room with four oth-ers. To make ingredients for pani puris, we wake up at 5.30 am. We go out after after 3 pm and sell pani puri till 9 pm. The street becomes crowded during evening hours. I do good business on weekdays. I earn Rs 40,000 a month,” he said.

Laxman has bought a house from the money he has earned and his family depends on him. There are both North and South Indians at the lane where Laxman sells pani puris. “They come here every evening to eat my pani puris. Most of them are women custom-ers. My stall gets crowded by 6.30 pm. I serve both spicy and sweet puris. The puris are served with chana, onion and aloo masala. Each plate costs Rs 10,” said Laxman.

Avni Akshar, a regular consumer, says this is the best place to have pani puris.