80-yr-old woman vendor lives with dignity

Dhenkanal: Eighty-year-old Rasobathi Naik is selling fruits and vegetables at Dhenkanal Rathgada vegetable market. Rasobathi said she is happy to be independent and self-reliant. “I am physically and mentally fit despite my old age,” she said.

Facing numerous challenges at her age, Rasobathi embodies a resilient spirit. Living in a small hut by the roadside, she sustains herself through her modest work. The wrinkles on her face reveal her age, yet she continues her work with a smile, never voicing a complaint. “I believe God has given me sound mind and body,” she said.

Rasobathi ekes out a living by selling vegetables because her family did not support her. Her husband passed away recently. She has two sons and a daughter, but none of them helped her with her small business. When she gives her earnings to her sons, they buy some food ingredients for her. While her family lives in Mangalpur village, 6 km away from the district headquarters, Rasobathi lives alone in Dhenkanal. She never depends on others for work. Rasobathi said her fellow vendors help her by bringing vegetables for her from wholesalers which she sells on the roadside. Customers Susmita Sahoo and Mita Maharana said they prefer to buy vegetables and fruits from Rasobathi because she offers rare varieties.

She comes to the market at around 8 am and leaves by 6 pm. Rasobathi is paying tax to municipality but is deprived of some basic facilities such as vending zone. Despite facing several hardships, she is not depending on her family.

Rasobathi lives her life with dignity.