Tamil PhD scholar sells chickpeas on Pondicherry beach
Selling chickpeas on the beach may no longer be confined to illiterates and drop-out youths. S Palaniraj, a PhD scholar, has been receiving university stipend of 8,000 a month since he joined the programme in 2010 which is slightly more than his part-time business of selling snacks in the evening.
Palaniraj and his brother S Saravanakumar started their part-time business of selling chickpeas in 1999 to fund their education and support their family of eight. Their father S Subramanian, who worked as a salesman in a textile showroom had to quit the job due to health reasons. Eleven years later in 2010, Saravana Kumar completes MA MPhil BEd and is a teacher in agovernement institute while Palaniraj decided to continue the business even while pursuing his doctrate.
Palaniraj cleared junior research fellowship last year and will shortly start receiving a stipend of 16,000 per month. However, he is reluctant to give up his business for reasons a many.
"We are repaying huge loans incurredto get our three sisters married. A lion's share of my brother's salary and the nominal profit out of this business helps us a lot. Moreover, I strongly believe that any occupation if taken up with genuine interest is nothing but a service to the society," said Palaniraj.
Unlike other research scholars, he devotes most of his time for odd jobs of buying necessary ingredients for his business than for academic activity. The women in his family sometimes help him in preperation before he returns home from university. "I reach Gandhi Statue on the beach road and start selling before 5.30pm and usually wind up between10pm and 11pm," he said adding that he earns roughly 200 per day.
The odd-job has taught him to take both kudos and brickbats in the same way. "A few classmates appreciate my resolve to continue the business but others dont approve my decision," he said.
He has embarked on a study to unearth Sittrilakkiyam (minor literary genres) on 12 Alvars (sages of Vaishnavism between 6th to 12th century AD).
His elder brother S Balamurugan is a platform vendor selling garments.
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