COIMBATORE: It’s the unforgiving heat of the oven that transforms a kneaded and proofed mixture of flour, sugar, salt, oil, yeast, and milk into the fluffy bread we all like. And, it’s the unforgiving heat of adversity that transforms a heterogenous mixture of people into humanity we all talk about, but rarely witness. An amalgamation of this recipe and humanity is on display at Rathinapuri in the city, where a baker is banking on the honesty of his patrons to keep serving those hard put by the 21-day lockdown.
Out in the open adjacent to a closed bakery is a stall lined with bread. There is no service staff to oversee the sale; no cashier to handle the money. The patrons come, pick up a packet or two, put the money into the till and walk away. This is the stall installed by A Vignesh, who runs Sweets and Bakes beakery on Jeevanandham Road in Rathinapuri.
“Bread is an essential food item for those unable to prepare food. Due to the lockdown, there is a shortage of bread, which I am addressing,” he says. His returns have been good. “Nobody has cheated me so far. Each packet costs `30 as usual. I leave the produce and the cash till open. When I go to refill the stock in the evening, I collect the money,” he adds.