ಇವತ್ತು ಸೆಪ್ಟಂಬರ್ ನಾಲ್ಕು. "ವೆಂಡರ್ಸ್ ಡೆ." ಫಾದರ್ಸ್ ಡೇ, ಮದರ್ಸ್ ಡೆ, ಲವರ್ಸ್ ಡೇ, ಲೇಬರ್ಸ್ ಡೇ............ಗಳಿರುವಂತೆ ನಮ್ಮ ದಿನಪತ್ರಿಕೆ ವಿತರಿಸುವ ವೆಂಡರುಗಳಿಗೂ ಒಂದು ದಿನವಿದೆ. ಅದು ವೆಂಡರ್ಸ್ ಡೇ. ಸೆಪ್ಟಂಬರ್ ನಾಲ್ಕು ಅಂದರೆ ಇವತ್ತು ನಮ್ಮ ದಿನ. ನಾನು ಒಬ್ಬ ದಿನಪತ್ರಿಕೆ ವಿತರಕನಾದ್ದರಿಂದ ಇವತ್ತು ನಮ್ಮದಿನವೆಂದು ಹೇಳಿಕೊಳ್ಳಲು ನನಗೂ ಖುಷಿಯಿದೆ.
ಕಳೆದ ವರ್ಷ ಇದೇ ಸೆಪ್ಟಂಬರ್ ನಾಲ್ಕರಂದು ನಮ್ಮ ವೆಂಡರ್ಸ್ ಡೇಗಾಗಿ ನಾನು ಬರೆದ ಲೇಖನ "ಕನ್ನಡ ಪ್ರಭ" ದಿನಪತ್ರಿಕೆಯ ಭಾನುವಾರದ ಸಾಪ್ತಾಹಿಕದ ಮುಖಪುಟಲೇಖನವಾಗಿ ಪ್ರಕಟವಾಗಿತ್ತು. ಅದನ್ನು ಓದಿದ ದಿ ಹಿಂದೂ ದಿನಪತ್ರಿಕೆಯ ಮಾರುಕಟ್ಟೆ ವಿಭಾಗದ ಪ್ರತಿನಿಧಿಯೊಬ್ಬರು ಇಷ್ಟಪಟ್ಟು ಆಂಗ್ಲ ಭಾಷೆ ಅನುವಾದಿಸಿ ದಿ ಹಿಂದೂ ಮುಖ್ಯ ಕಛೇರಿಯಾದ ಚೆನ್ನೆಗೆ ಪ್ರಕಟಣೆಗಾಗಿ ಕಳಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ನಾನು ಗುಬ್ಬಿ ಎಂಜಲು ಪುಸ್ತಕದ ಬಿಡುಗಡೆ ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮದ ವಿವರಗಳ ವರದಿಯನ್ನು ಕೊಡಲು ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನ ಹಿಂದು ಕಛೇರಿಗೆ ಹೋದಾಗ ಅದನ್ನು ಬರೆದಿದ್ದು ನಾನೇ ಅಂತ ಗೊತ್ತಾಗಿ ಖುಷಿಯಿಂದ ಅದರ ಪ್ರತಿಯನ್ನು ನನಗೆ ಕೊಟ್ಟಿದ್ದರು. ಅದನ್ನು ಹಾಗೆ ನಿಮಗಾಗಿ ಬ್ಲಾಗಿಗೆ ಹಾಕಿದ್ದೇನೆ.
ಇದನ್ನು ಓದಿ ನಿಮ್ಮ ಅಭಿಪ್ರಾಯವನ್ನು ತಿಳಿಸಿ.
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To
Dy.Regional General Manager
The Hindu, Chennai.
Date: 7-9-2009
Dear sir,
Sub: News Papers Venders day
This is the article by city vendor Shivu.k on view of newspapers vendors day and express
His daily morning life in the newspapers distribution business. His article appeared in “Kannada prabha” a express group vernacular daily on sept 6, 2009.
Papers vendors day[September 4th] is being celebrated in USA. This early “morning birds” get up from their deep slumber and leaving behind those dreams, circulate news to the word. Paper vendor shivu.k who has seen these paper boys and grown ups from close quarters and recounts his experiences in the “paper boat”
Trin…Trin…Trin…my mobile rings at 4’0 clock in the morning. Don’t think I got up from my deep sleep. This is the schedule for hundreds of venders including me. I chant first few lines from a melodies song and written to the bed, I remined of my duty, got up and after freshening I call my assistance by this time it is 4-30am.
brown swatter
I wear a khaki tinged brown swatter everyday except during 3 months during summer. I have a belief[Superstition]that I wear this, all the things eill go off smoothly. I have encounter the troubles whenever I have not wore it. By the time I reach the distribution point on my two wheeler, takes another 5 minutes.
I say “Mruthanjaya Mantra” 9 times on my way to the distribution point. Sometimes when my assistance mobiles are switched off there is no place for this mantra. The feeling of over burden of “having to do all the work myself envelops me and recite manthra. This will make invariable to chant more than 9 times. When I reach the spot it is already 4.45 am, I drowned my work “counting the newspapers inserting all the supplements in the main paper” with the help of the assistance or even without them. My friends and their boys will be doing the same work.
Morning Show
What ‘guru’ you used to come at 6 0 clock but today you are hear at 5 am. I hear this conversation from behind. ‘What to do, I could not go the “Deccan Hereld” office to pay the advance amount. [you know my difficulties, therefore I came early] To pay advance amount on the previous day at newspapers offices is known as ‘Morning show’ in our terminology.
‘Today nothing as come’ a delivery boy asks. His main job is to assist owner in inserting the supplements and later distribute newspapers. He comes very early to the distribution point. He thinks if gets a chance to insert a flyer’s or pamphlets, he could make additional money. He earns more money by doing this than his salary. Feeling passes through me if I had such boys.
Handbills
Hello come here, take this supplements. You are always after those ‘Hand bills’ someone shouts. He is a person who is in early 50s and has more than 30 years experience in newspaper distribution. The old man quotes saint scholar “Basavana vachanas” or [Sanskrit Language] everyday and it soothes me. This also brings joy, war of words between friends, A’ certificate words and non-veg talks. Hey look there is another person who is always in a hurry. He expects the main dirstributor to be at his “beck and call” His work will not move without shouting hurry and anxiety. There are friends who do their work without uttering a ward, sometimes through their sign language.
The work of the experienced is smooth and uy uncomplicated yet full of smoke too. I do not know how may packs of cigarette they empty, by the time it reaches 7am. Along with this they continouslyu drink tea. One could see the skills of boys in this field included 70 yeart olds.
Flash backs
Every after I entered the wedlock, I used to get at least 10-15 calls of having not received the paper. This is a miserable and no one should come across in their life. My father suffered from a stroke and was treated at Bangalore. He was here for ashort duration of time and had return to my native place adamantly. One day I received a call from my native place in the mid-night where my father is no more. Please some early was the message. I wanted to go to my native place early in the moring, but this newspapers distribution work came in my decision. I was worried whether my boys will turn up early and I was also thinking about my customers who wanted the newspaper early. By the time I completed my work, I was distressed. This is not the story of not only me, but of thousands who are into newspaper and milk distribution.
Return to reality and birthday
One day one of my boys, I came to know that he had distributed sweets on this birthday and was waiting for me. It was 6am and had small tea party together. These beat boys celebrate the birthdays in this way. But a few think a chance to miss work. They send message through some other beat boys. This shoots my BP high.
Bus-Accident
One day a shocking incident happened. A paper boy was it by a bus while crossing a road and died on the spot. We all venders decided to collect the contributions and went to the boy’s house to express our condolence. We have participated in the final rituals. While returning I was filled with a sense of guilt, tears started rolling my eyes. There are examples of beat boys of having bitten by either street or pet dogs they also meet with the accidents and loose or fractured limbs.
Rain-wet foot path
When beat boys don’t turn-up we distribute papers or when there is rain due to cyclone, the footpath become wet or small pool is formed. On such days we keep received calls from readers asking us “Why the paper not delivered, it is 6.30am?
20-20 Cricket
After the work is over, I feel a sigh of relief, try to brush the newspaper, but I don’t find any news interesting. It is all sore news. Compare to our early morning reality, ona footpath, the time goes like a 20-20 cricket match where our work gets over in 2-3 hours after I woke up.
Your’s faithfully
K.N.Vijaya Raghavan,
Sales Executive.
ಚಿತ್ರ: ಶಿವು.ಕೆ
ಲೇಖನ: ಕೆ.ಎನ್. ವಿಜಯರಾಘವನ್.
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ಇದೊಂದು ವಿಶೇಷ ಸೂಚನೆ:
ಗೆಳೆಯರೆ,
ನಮ್ಮ ತುಂತುರು ಪ್ರಕಾಶನದ ಪುಸ್ತಕಗಳಾದ ಜಲನಯನ, ಗುಬ್ಬಿ ಎಂಜಲು ಮತ್ತು ವೆಂಡರ್ ಕಣ್ಣು ಪುಸ್ತಕಗಳು. ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದಾದ್ಯಂತ ನವಕರ್ನಾಟಕ ಪುಸ್ತಕ ಮಳಿಗೆಗಳು, ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನ ಸ್ವಪ್ನ ಬುಕ್ ಹೌಸ್, ಗಾಂಧಿಬಜಾರಿನ ರಸ್ತೆಯಲ್ಲಿರುವ ಅಂಕಿತ ಪುಸ್ತಕ ಮಳಿಗೆ, ಜಯನಗರದ ಕೂಲ್ ಜಾಯಿಂಟ್ ಎದುರು ರಸ್ತೆಯಲ್ಲಿರುವ "ಟೋಟಲ್ ಕನ್ನಡ ಡಾಟ್ ಕಾಂ" ಅಂಗಡಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ದೊರೆಯುತ್ತದೆ.
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