The Counter View

He married his girlfriend last month and is proud that he could contribute Rs 2.5 lakh to the wedding expenses. But the uncertainty of the retail industry, and the fear of it reaching saturation, has made Jadhav plan for his own business. "Despite everything this job has given me, I know there won't be much scope for growth after a few years," he says.

'THERE IS NO JOB SECURITY'

JANAK PANDEY I 40

LUCKNOW

FORTY-YEAR OLD Janak Pandey sells bangles and jewellery inside the Big Bazaar retail store in Saharaganj Mall, Lucknow.

He is an old hand at luring women to the sparkle of bangles and persuading them to buy a dozen more than they really need.

Before he started working at this store in 2005, he sold bangles in Kanpur for 10 years.

With his experience of over two decades, Pandey now supervises the work of half-adozen salespersons at the store. His small team is fond of him because of his friendliness and genial nature.

Pandey comes from a family of farmers in Jhulaghat village on the Indo-Nepal border in Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand. The search for a job and a better life made him leave home years ago. He had failed his Class X examination, and with few options ahead of him, he came to Delhi. He worked as a salesman at a toy shop. His salary was Rs 100 a month. "But it was much better than being a labourer," he says.

Later, while selling toys at various fairs in Uttar Pradesh, he came in touch with a Kanpur- based jeweller, who offered him a job of salesman at his bangle shop for Rs 2,200 a month. He shifted to Kanpur in 1995.

Though he is confident enough, the only problem he faces is his inability to understand or speak English. "But it is not such a big deal.

... contd.

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