SU Winter Sojourn team completes study on women vendors, shares findings

Women vendors near Melli

Vendor at Lall Bazaar

GANGTOK, 30 Jan: Sikkim University’s Winter Sojourn team on the theme ‘Women Vendors’ completed their 10-day study tour on different issues related to women vendors on Sunday. Sikkim’s women vendors are more empowered and the state has better basic amenities for women vendors than the neighbouring hills according to the team’s findings.
The team started its programme from Lall Bazaar on 21 January and covered women vendors sitting along the National Highway 31A upto Teesta Bazaar. The 23-member team was led by Dr Swati Sachdeva and also had three other faculty members of SU, Dr Pallavi Kulkarni, Dr Shanker Thapa and Dr Sangmu Thendup and 19 students from different fields.
The main objective of the programme was to study the socio-economic profile of the women vendors and to know various problems faced by the women, challenges present in the market and how they cope with modernization and globalization.
The team spoke to around 800 women vendors at more than 10 locations in Sikkim and West Bengal. The team interacted with women vendors at Lall Bazaar, Ranipool, Pakyong, Singtam, Rangpo, Melli and other places in Sikkim and also at Kirney, Tarkhola, Melli, Teesta and Kalimpong in West Bengal.
Speaking to media persons today, the students and faculty members shared some of their findings. The team found that most women vendors are in the age group of 35 to 40 years although they also came across a 90-year-old lady in the profession at Melli Bazaar. It was mentioned that Melli has 90% women vendors and even the first hotel in Melli, on the West Bengal side was started by a lady.
In the case of Sikkim it was found that women vendors come from different places to one haat bazaar, while in West Bengal the vendors were moving to different haats at different places. In Kalimpong many women vendors find it difficult to earn Rs 500 in a day but in Lall Bazaar a woman vendor was making more than Rs 500 every day, the team shared. The team has also found that many women vendors are living a hand-to-mouth existence, not being able to spare money from their earnings for savings.
SU students belonging to other states informed that in the plains this line of work is usually taken up only by the lower castes but in Sikkim no such caste division was found. The team further informed that from uneducated to graduates, women with different backgrounds are in this profession.
“We came to know that every woman is working to support their family, to provide good education to their children and looking towards social elevation as an outcome,” shared the team members.
Prajwal Chettri, one of the students said that interacting with vendors at Lall Bazaar was a good experience, as they were more open to share their stories compared to vendors of West Bengal who were hesitant to speak out. Another student, Maria Lepcha shared that Sikkim’s women vendors are more vibrant, cheerful and outspoken. She added that the team found that in Sikkim the women vendors were not in this profession due to economic deprivation but either continuing their family business or simply enjoying this profession.
The team also informed that vendors of West Bengal were found to be more aggressive, competitive and enterprising when it came to selling. A student from Bihar, Sashi Bhusal Sharma added that competition is thick in his hometown as well but here in Sikkim, the vendors are more relaxed and just enjoy their job.
On the demands and needs of the women vendors, the team shared that proper space, cold storage facilities, separate women markets and basic amenities were some of the demands placed by the vendors.
The team further mentioned that analysis of the findings is yet to be carried out which will reveal more information on women vendors. It was also informed that the field observation will be documented which can be used by anyone in future.