Banker loses job, starts selling veggies

Having lost his job amid the Covid-19-induced lockdown, a 41-year-old banker from Kalyan is now forced to sell vegetables.

Having lost his job amid the Covid-19-induced lockdown, a 41-year-old banker from Kalyan is now forced to sell vegetables.

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Sachin Dhiware, a resident of Yogidham, Kalyan (West), lost his job on May 20 after working in a bank for over a decade. Dhiware, the only earning member in the family, then started selling mangoes for a living, during the summer months.

“Despite being one of the best performers, I lost my job. I have to run the household and pay loans too. So, I started selling mangoes in the area. Post-summer, I planned on setting up the business of selling clean and fresh vegetables,” said Dhiware, who is a father of two children, aged eight and two, respectively.

Dhiware met farmers, inquired about rates and also visited several markets. He also involved his three friends to join in.

“I couldn’t manage the business alone, hence I asked my friends to join me. As soon as I opened a shop in my locality, immediately the civic body imposed a strict lockdown from July 2,” added Dhiware.

However, due to the lockdown, there was a shortage in the vegetable supply in the locality. Dhiware then started the home delivery of vegetables. “Our team managed to deliver vegetables to around 30 people in the area, in last two days,” he said.

The team took the help of social media to spread the word about the business and managed to get customers for home deliveries. “Due to limitations on transportation we are selling the vegetables in one locality only. Though there is an uncertainty in this business, my target is to earn at least ₹3,000 a day so that I can keep up with the lifestyle which we had,” said Dhiware.