Fish vendors get uniformly lucky

Fish sellers have found their lucky colours ' red, blue and white.

Uniformed fish vendors are reporting a spurt in their sales ever since they donned the dress code of the state fisheries department. Around 230 fish vendors in Haldipokhar, Mango, Baharagora, Parsudih and near Tatanagar, all in and around Jamshedpur, say that sales of fish and prawns have doubled since they started sporting blue caps and trousers and red-and-white striped shirts.

Those who sold around 10-15kg are now trading in around 10-30kg.

It may sound like a "lucky colours" wisecrack but there is more to it than meets the eye.

After all, the fish vendors have been wearing the uniform since the past three months. So it is not a flash in the pan.

Secondly, around 400 fish vendors are in the waiting list for uniforms. So demand for the dress code ' non-existent when the scheme was launched in November ' is soaring obviously because more than the vanity factor, vendors are discovering that it makes great business sense.

"Initially we were surprised at the phenomenon, but a closer look will reveal that the reasons for uniformed fish vendors doing better business than others are logical. The smart uniform and cap make the fish sellers easier to identify in crowded bylanes and markets and gives him a status. Customers think that if he has a government uniform, his catch must be better than the others," state fisheries officer Shatrughan Prasad Sharma said, adding that a new set would be supplied every year.

In suburban areas, fish sellers on cycles vend their catch in residential areas, normally shouting to draw the attention of customers. But now, with the arrival of the uniformed sellers, customers call out to him.

Sharma added that as of February 2, 400 fish sellers had applied for uniforms.

"It's a sea-change from the time when officials had to coax and cajole fish vendors to wear the uniform. Now, they are clamouring for it," he said.

Most fish vendors normally wear lungis. The younger lot wears T-shirts and a pair of Bermudas. But the state uniforms, while adding to their dapper quotient, are their lucky charm.

A case in point is Nizam Kaiborto (31), a resident of Ghaghidih who sells fish on the Tata-Hata Road near Tatanagar after procuring it from Sakchi's main fish mart.

Nizam has been in the profession for a decade and is wearing the uniform since December. As of now, his earnings have increased from Rs 100- Rs 150 to Rs 350- Rs 400 per day. He earns Rs 10,000 to Rs 12,000 a month.

"I feel good in the uniform. Buyers have more respect for me," he grinned. "People even place orders beforehand with me. They approach me on their own to buy fish and prawns," he said.