STREET SELLERS GET CELEBRITY BOOST

Celebrities often use their social media accounts to promote products and enrich themselves. But every now and then, they also use their huge followings to benefit the underprivileged. That’s what actor Randeep Hooda did recently when he urged his 830,000 followers on Twitter to “show some love” to Revana Siddappa, an elderly man who was selling plants in front of a shopping center in Bangalore, while holding an umbrella for shade.
Members of Changemakers of Kanakapura Road, an organization representing residents of the area, soon came to the man’s assistance. They provided him with a table, chair, fixed umbrella, sign advertising his medicinal plants, and more plants to sell.
Another elderly vendor got a boost through social media from singer Diljit Dosanjh and many others. Dosanjh shared a short video of the 70-year-old widow who works hard to cook and sell dal, sabzi, parathas, and other food at her roadside stall at Phagwara Gate market in Jalandhar, Punjab. Speaking in Punjabi, the woman comments on all the people who choose to spend thousands of rupees at fancy restaurants when they would spend far less at her stall. Asked if she is happy, the woman says, “What to do? I have to do this.”
Tweeting his “respect” for the woman, Dosanjh asked his followers to visit her stall and buy her food.
“Look at the calm and patience on her face,” replied lawyer Kiran Kumar Madan. “The kind of grit she is carrying is definitely not available with everyone. Hope Jalandhar people will support her with open heart.”
More of ChaiTime here:
http://www.khabar.com/magazine/chaitime/
Compiled and partly written by Indian humorist MELVIN DURAI, author of the novel Bala Takes the Plunge.
[Comments? Contributions? We would love to hear from you about Chai Time. If you have contributions, please email us at melvin@melvindurai.com. We welcome jokes, quotes, online clips, and more.]
Enjoyed reading Khabar magazine? Subscribe to Khabar and get a full digital copy of this Indian-American community magazine.
blog comments powered by Disqus