Ludhiana: With surge in spectators, food vendors flock to Kila Raipur

The return of the much-awaited bullock cart races at the Kila Raipur games is not just drawing in a heavy footfall of spectators but also dozens of small vendors from across the area in hopes of making some money with the surge in visitors

What used to be nothing more than a handful of stalls selling some refreshments outside the Kila Raipur Stadium has this time transformed into a bustling small market of vendors selling a variety of snacks, like aaloo tikki, ice cream, momos, kulcha, lemonade, egg rolls, and even some clothing.

Hockey players in action during the Kila Raipur games in Ludhiana on Wednesday. (Gurpreet Singh/HT)

The return of the much-awaited bullock cart races at the Kila Raipur games is not just drawing in a heavy footfall of spectators but also dozens of small vendors from across the area in hopes of making some money with the surge in visitors.

Nachhattar Singh from Lohgarh, some 3 km from Kila Raipur, has set up a stall of clothing items, like T-shirts, napkins, shorts, etc. He has a small shop in his village, but when he heard of bullocak cart race returning to the games, he thought of installing his stall here.

“The temperature is turning up. The sun is getting sharper. I have sold caps and napkins mostly. It is not much. But it is more customers than those who come to my shop in Lohgarh,” he said.

Jagdev Singh from nearby Ballowal is selling his aaloo tikki outside the stadium. He mostly works for wedding parties. He returned with his stall here after 12 years. “We did come here earlier. But after the bullock cart race was removed, people from outside stopped coming here. There wasn’t much crowd here, so we stopped setting up our stall here. This time, the footfall is heavy. And people are coming to the stall as well,” he said.

“Relatives of locals from across the state used to come for these games. But with no bullock cart games, there wasn’t much to draw them. This time, some of my own relatives have come to us and will stay here for the duration of the games,” said a 79-year-old man from neighbouring Mahimasinghwala.