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Winter brings Tibetan warmth to Vijayawada
A group of 16 refugee families from Tibet are leading a dignified life by making woollen garments and selling them, despite facing tough competition from branded goods.
Vijayawada: A group of 16 refugee families from Tibet are leading a dignified life by making woollen garments and selling them, despite facing tough competition from branded goods. Like migratory birds which visit far off countries, these refugees visit the city during winter to make business in makeshift tents.
- Refugees make a living by selling woollen garments
- Wary of demonetisation affect on sales
The refugee families left their native places following Chinese aggression long ago. Some of them settled in Odisha where the local government build houses in 1960. A few families have also been staying in Karnataka.
Their visit to Vijayawada to make and sell woollen garments business started many decades ago. Earlier, they used to camp at Lenin Centre and Rama Talkies Centre in Gandhinagar. However, for the past three years they shifted their temporary camp in the vicinity of Dharna Chowk as local authorities have been on the job of city beautification.
A group of 50 people landed here this season too. They erected about 15 stalls and displayed colourful woollen garments to attract customers. Jam Yang, a member of the group said they communicate in Hindi and manage things by appointing local sales boys. Though they are poor in Telugu, they successfully accomplish their business targets by employing local salesmen.
Tashi, president of Tibetan Refugee Association informed that they import woollen wear from Ludhiana and Delhi. During off-season, they make woollen wear, which can compete with branded goods. “We sell the products at comparatively cheaper prices and our woollen wear lasts longer than the branded wear. This is the only reason why people in the city prefer to shop at our stalls.
We sell sweaters for all age groups besides caps, socks, hand gloves, jackets, blankets, shawls and other goods,” he added. Stating that every year they earn profits by selling the woolen wear, he said this year demonetisation has its effect on business.
By Noor Shaik
