There is nothing more exciting for a cricket fan than watching their favourite team and players up close and personal from the stadium. With painted faces and flags waving at every opportunity, watching an India cricket match for a fan is an unforgettable experience.
But, what about the vendors who sell all the stuff the fans buy and use at the stadium? What do they feel about the game? Are they fans as well, or are they professionals, just doing their jobs and trying to make the most of thousands and thousands of people swarming in to the stadium?
"I have been selling these products since 1996. I travel across cities, wherever India play. At times, I cannot reach on time in a city for a match as I have to travel in a train in the general compartment," Pushkar Pandey, a resident of Ranchi and a hawker by profession, told International Business Times India.
The hawkers or vendors do not earn a lot of money by selling the flags and t-shirts and other merchandise that a fan sees every time he/she goes for a game.
"I do it out of love. I have never seen the face of profit in the last 10 years. Now I want to get out of this business and start something new," Pallav Basu, who travelled all the way from Kolkata, told IBTimes India.
Like any Indian cricket fan, Basu also has his opinions on the sport, and he does not shy away from giving them. "I do not want to continue in this business as the love for the game is going down," Basu added. "That is not a good sign at all."
Basu also revealed the one time he got lucky, when a VIP gave him a free tricket for the India vs Pakistan ODI match in 2013, a game which the home team lost.
"I did get lucky once at Eden Gardens, when India were playing against Pakistan. A minister had an extra ticket with him and he came up to me and asked me whether I want to watch the game or not. That was the only time I got to enter a stadium," Basu said.
