Sirajuddin Chougle

Informal Sector: the Hawkers of Mumbai a Socio-economic Study: Barefoot Entrepreneurs of Mumbai Sirajuddin Chougle

Hawkers play an important role in the functioning of the informal economy of Mumbai. They are ever ready to take risk to sell any conceivable product that the formal marketer may hesitate to sell. Agricultural products, products from the home industry, the cottage industry, the small scale industry in and around the slums of Mumbai exist because the hawker plays an important role to distribute their products. The corporate also view him as the carrier who can help them to penetration their products in areas where formal market does not exist. To the mumbaikar he is the supply line at convenience, right where they need him, at the railway station, near the formal market, near the office, on the sea shore, at the doorstep, you imagine and he is there, omnipresent. The book traces his contribution to trade and commerce in Mumbai. The book presents his personal and trade profile, the atrocities he faces, the exploitation he undergoes by the authorities, goons, politicians and the unions is reflected. The perceptions of the people of Mumbai towards them are also highlighted. With all odds against him he survives. He is unbeatable. The Hawkers of Mumbai are indispensable!!!