MALAPPURAM: At Pleasant English Medium School, election day brought not just voters but a burst of young enterprise.
Three Class 4 students, Athinan, Shamas and their friend Shadil from Kattilangadi, turned the polling venue into a thriving makeshift market.
Positioning themselves between three polling booths of Tanur constituency – they sold pickled vegetables, drinking water and snacks to voters standing in long queues in the heat. With nearly 2,000 voters arriving at the school, demand surged and their stock was quickly exhausted.
For Athinan and Shamas, it was an extension of the small vacation venture they started in front of the former’s house in Kattilangadi. The idea to shift came after a neighbour pointed out the rush anticipated at the booth. They swung into action and carried bottles of pickles made by Athinan’s mother Ashabi to the school. On the way, they met Shadil.
“We started by selling pickled carrot, cucumber and mango prepared by my mother near my house when our vacation began,” Athinan said. “On Thursday, a neighbour told us there would be a large crowd at the school because of voting”
Naser, one of the voters, said the’ initiative was especially helpful for mothers who had come with their children. “The pickles kept the children engaged while their mothers stood in queue to vote.”