Hope floats for businesses around DU as campus opens

With first-year students joining college, various facilities and small business units in North Campus are hoping for a fillip in their earnings.

With first-year students stepping foot into the university on Wednesday and settling into campus life, student hubs surrounding the North campus were also abuzz with activity on Wednesday.

Students at Delhi University on the first day of college at Miranda House, North Campus. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

After two years of pandemic-induced disruptions that brought campus life to a halt, business around the university gradually picked up pace when the varsity reopened for offline classes in February. With first-year students joining college, various facilities and small business units in North Campus are hoping for a fillip in their earnings.

Hordes of students were seen swarming the popular eating kiosks on the university campus on Wednesday. The tea point outside Ramjas College, a students’ favourite, also had a heavier crowd on Thursday. “Since more students have joined the campus today, the business has naturally increased. Besides students, parents also stopped by for a cup of tea today. Campus life is thriving and we are looking forward to more activity since it will influence our earnings positively,” said Lal Singh, who has been running the tea stall since 1995.

A few meters away from Ramjas, the popular bhel poori kiosk outside Hindu College also saw heightened activity on Wednesday. Numerous food kiosks dotting the stretch saw an uptick in the number of visits from students and parents on the first day. “With first-year students joining college today, the crowd has increased. Today was the first day only. It will get much busier as outstation students also join classes. Students are the primary consumers in our line of work so it’s always good to see a vibrant campus,” said Mohan Lal, who has been running the kiosk for over 30 years now.

Besides local food kiosks, other small businesses and service providers that depend on students for their livelihood are also a happy lot. An increased footfall is a good sign for all stakeholders, said Ramesh Yadav, who drives a cycle rickshaw near the Vishwa Vidyalaya Metro station. Yadav, 48, said that the stretch between the metro station and various colleges was busier than usual on Thursday. “The mood on campus is upbeat. We have no reasons to complain since our livelihood depends on activity in the university area. The more the number of students, the better prospects for us,” said Yadav.

Bungalow Road near Kamala Nagar market also saw an enthusiastic crowd of students making a beeline for various cafes and shops. Bookshops in Jawahar Nagar, however, are still waiting for students. While some students were seen purchasing books on Wednesday, the footfall is likely to increase in the coming days. Rakesh Rastogi, owner of Bookland, said that not many students had visited the bookstore to purchase books until now since it was only the first day. “We will be distributing our pamphlets in colleges starting tomorrow. It will get busier as classes start regularly. We hope to find more book purchasers even though many younger students prefer online pdfs or pirated versions of books,” said Rastogi.