Bhubaneswar, July 4: Shubha Rani Mishra starts work at 3am. She cycles to the local newspaper collection centre at Master Canteen Square, picks up the heavy bundles, puts them into the basket of her bicycle and rides off to deliver them to 100 households, where readers eagerly wait to hear the early morning thud.
Shubha has done what few women dare to do. She is the city's only woman newspaper hawker.
More than a decade ago, when Shubha began working as a newspaper hawker, she faced stiff opposition. Her husband, parents, in-laws, neighbours...she found support from no one. "Ours is a conservative family. No one from my family wanted a woman to go out and work, and that too such an unusual job for a woman," she said.
But times were hard and Shubha decided she had to do what nobody wanted her to.
"It was 2004, and our family was going through rough financial times. My husband was the only earning member and with two daughters to take care of, running the family was getting very difficult," she said.
Her husband Prakash Chandra Mishra was a newspaper vendor and one day the idea popped into Shubha's head that she could do her husband's job as well.
"I told my husband that if I joined him in the job, we could make extra money. He was very reluctant, but I wanted to give my children a good life, and so I had to get out of the house," said Shubha.
The job was challenging in more ways than one. Not only did Shubha challenge social norms, it was heavy work and confusing as well. She faced stares and ridicule.
"At first, it was very difficult. People used to stare at me and many teased me. Also, it was confusing to remember the lanes and the houses where the newspapers were to be delivered. It was scary at times, but I learnt to handle things on my own," she said.
At first, her husband used to collect newspapers from the depot for her, but this changed when he was hospitalised following an accident.
"I was all alone and had to go to the depot to collect the papers. It was awkward for the first few days as there was not a single female there. While some people helped me, others threw tantrums as if I made a mistake. But I had no other option but to face adversity and move on," she said.
Shubha soldiered on. Now, 12 years later, Shubha works four jobs and takes care of the family. After delivering around 500 newspapers from 3am to 7am with her husband in Saheed Nagar and some parts of Vani Vihar and Unit IV, Shubha returns home and cooks the family meal. Then, she cooks meals for her small catering business. In the evening, Shubha tutors schoolchildren and when she has time, she also does some sewing for the local tailor. She now makes more than Rs 10,000 a month. Everyone is happy now. Nobody questions her anymore.
Her husband, who also runs a paan shop, is now a proud man. "Frankly, I did not want her to hawk newspapers as I did not consider it a very respectful job. But over the years, she has proved herself as a talented woman and at present, earns more money than me," he said.
Shubha reads the newspaper everyday. Her two daughters - Jyotirmayee, 15, and Aradhana, 10 - are avid readers of TeleKids.
"So, I make sure to get them a copy of TeleKids every week," Shubha said with a smile on her face.
Her daughters also are proud of their independent mother. "She handles so many things and can multitask easily. Without her support, we would not be studying in English medium schools today. She is an inspiration to us," said Shubha's beaming elder daughter.
Shubha's customers are her strongest supporters and many have even helped her out with money during hard times. What sets her apart in the male dominated trade are her qualities of businesslike attitude, punctuality and efficiency, her customers said.
"She is never late and always has a smiling face. At the same time, she is very particular about collecting money during the first week of every month. I always talk about her indomitable spirit with my friends and acquaintances," said Raj Kishore Mahanta, one of her customers.
Does Shubha think she has been successful in getting what she had set out to achieve all those years ago?
"Yes, I wanted to make a steady income for my family and give my daughters a good education. I am satisfied with my life and whatever I have achieved so far," she spells out with confidence. She dreams for her daughters like every mother. "My elder daughter wants to become a doctor, and the younger one wants to join the civil services. Being a hawker is not a menial job at all. I want my daughters to pursue their dreams, but I don't have any problem if they follow my path to earn some extra money," said Shubha.
