Nurungukal……

        He used to visit our house at regular intervals. He was short and stout, not very fair. His Oxford hair style resembled that of a British actor. With a square chin he was clean shaven like Dev Anand. Attired immaculately  In a sandal coloured full sleeves jubba and golden bordered double veshti, he presented an elite aristocratic look. So was his behaviour. Many of his fingers were adorned with glittering rings with stones in different colours and shapes jutting out like jamoon fruits. As he moved his head side ways a pair of ear rings  ( kadukkans )threw bright red rays. A pair of gold covered teeth peeped out while  he huskily spoke. A golden wrist watch made in Sweden dangled on his left hand casually, which he tried to keep in position now and then. He was none other than Mr. Mulloth, a hand loom owner and textile dealer from North Malabar.

      He was the first salesman I have met in my life, who actually taught me what is salesmanship. He was not really selling his products, but his manners. And of course the ethics, transparency etc etc. were complimentary.

       In mid nineteenth century there were many middle class Nair tharawads in Ponani. Most of them were joint families.  Their only livelihood was from agriculture, paddy and coconut being the main crops. The women folks in them were seldom seen in market places.  Marketing, either sale or purchase was looked after by the young male members, under the strict supervision of the head of the family (karanavar ), although it was a matriarchal regime. In nutshell women were only an ornamental entity. Of course there were exceptions.

      Our hero Mr. Mulloth was trying to take advantage of this situation for sales promotion. He procured speciality textile products from different places, besides his own and supplied them at the door steps of his exclusive customers. His hefty assistant carried a huge steel trunk box, resembling the one in the  notorious Alavantar murder case, in which the choicest collection were stuffed. They included varieties like Chendamangalam  set dotties, kancheepuram sarees, eerkalakara 100 yarn Pavu mundu, Kasavu mundu of original silver yarns etc. His arrival was usually announced by a hushed up cough. A customary welcome from the lady of the house permits his entry on to the Poomukham. He will slowly settle down on the smooth terracotta floor with a subdued  exhale. When the hosts spreads a grass mat, he would delicately exhibit the products one by one, taking care to expose their special features. Then it’s the other’s turn for scrutiny, queries and selection. In the process many apprehensions, conversation, giggles , subtle jokes etc transpire before the deal is settled. Occasionally he would stand up and volunteer to show the finer details of the fabric, all with a set smile on his calm face. He seldom insisted for ready cash settlement, instead allowed easy instalment payments. An irresistible offer to inflate his sales. He was dead sure that their vanity will not allow none of his customers to make defaults in full settlements. He and his assistant, balancing the heavy trunk on his head would leave gently on foot to the next customer and as the day ends would finally roost in the out house of one of the affluent families. This was his routine for many years. Now I understand from my sister that his successors are still pursuing his path, not on foot but in a car.

        I have come across many such entrepreneurs later in my life. There was one blind man selling vegetable in the narrow streets of Calicut. He was carrying the load on his shoulder at the two ends of a bamboo stick. He was totally blind and I used to wonder how he was meticulously negotiating through without stumbling. Perhaps God might have empowered adequately his other senses or more aptly it was his will power to  uphold his self esteem to toil for a livelihood. Another one had a mobile stationery shop. Every thing from pin to plane was available in his not so big wooden box. Yet another was a fruit seller. If you just look around you can meet many like them engaged in different fields. But none of them might have found a place in the screens of a power point presentation on success stories. In fact it is in them we have to seek the real make in India spirit. A tribe in whom you can observe the finer aspects of salesmanship, self esteem, ethics and perseverance. They uphold the real Indian trend of Swaraj and the efficacy of the  post Covid 19 resilience will depend much upon how sincere our planners are in supporting them.