The Bhutanese Leading the way.
Cho Duba earns a maximum of Nu 54,000 per month on the streets
Cho Duba, a street hawker is one of the many men who sell rice porridge in the capital city to sustain his family.
It’s an everyday routine for him to get to business by late evening around 7pm. Clad in a warm outfit, he sets off to the city bus stop, carrying his goods in two big baskets.
Duba has a family of four and the money he earned before was not enough for the family. “That is when I decided to get into the Thukpa (porridge) business which fetches me a good amount of money. I have two school going children,” he said.
He said, if he had to wait for the government to give him a job, he would not be able to look after his family and raise his children along with giving them a good education.
Duba’s business timing runs into midnight on weekends and other occasions. He keeps moving and stops by sidewalks near night clubs and pubs in town selling his hot Thukpa at NU 20 a cup. His prime spots are the city bus stop and ‘STEEZ’ bar. At times his wife accompanies him to sell porridge while the children are left home with their grandmother.
His maximum earning per day is about NU 1700 to NU 1800, which amounts to NU 54,000 a month. Duba hopes to open a bar for his wife with the money he is able to save while he plans on doing other small businesses.
He has a fair customer base comprising of travelers and club goers. He sells his Thukpa at a slightly cheaper price than the others which his customers feel is reasonable.
Life was not so easy for Duba and his family as his father had passed away when he was in his 20’s and with just a qualification of class IV, it was difficult for him to get a decent job.
“I had to discontinue my studies because by my parents were very poor and they did not have enough money to support my studies. I have nine more siblings and today they are in a good position but do not bother to look at me and my family. My mother is at home in Dagana,” he said.
Despite a simple recipe- combinations of spices, rice and porridge, Duba’s customers are satisfied. Sangay Tshering the owner of the STEEZ bar makes it a point to drink his porridge on a regular basis and said “it’s tasty and the price is reasonable too.”
At times his customers walk down all the way to his location to drink his porridge.
Like him there are many others who are into the business and make their living selling porridge, fried rice and other edible items during odd hours.
