Newspaper Wallah

The Mid-Day has two articles about the boys who sell Mid-Day. How cool is that. Anyone who drives or travels by bus in Bombay has seen these small boys mostly in the 8-15 year age group selling newspapers, books, magazines, and in recent times water bottles too.

I used to regularly buy my copy of the Afternoon from them. And on many an occasion I have given one of these guys a lift on my bike to the next signal. These kids cover a large territory from Haji Ali signal all the way to Prabhadevi near the Siddhi Vinayak signal. If they find the pickings slow at their spot, they would ask any motorcyclist going solo to drop them off at the next light.

What is heartening to note, per article

These little entrepreneurs have been selling newspapers, pirated books and bottled water at Mumbai’s traffic signals for over 20 years now.

The children use their earnings to pay their annual school fees of Rs 500 and supplement the family income, which averages around Rs 8,000 per month.

So the next time you stop at the signal and see one of these small boys, buy a newspaper from them, or at least say a polite no, but don’t shoosh them away as many people do.

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