Gone are the days when people used to buy things in the range of 1 rupee. Today, even a packet of chips is not affordable in this range. The world has become greedy for money and a lot of people are looking for shortcuts to make money. In such times, a lady from Tamil Nadu has been selling idlis at rupee 1 from the past 30 years. She has refused to hike the prices even now when the cost of ingredients have increased multiple times.
The lady named K Kamalathal started selling idlis 30 years ago. She started selling idlis at the price of 50 ps each earlier but raised the prices a few years back. Talking about her routine, she gets up before the sunrise, completes her household work, offers prayer to God and goes to her farm to collect vegetables with her son. Then she prepares idlis with coconut chutney and sambhar and opens the doors of her shop.
She prefers running the business from her own home as it becomes easier for her to serve customers at 6 in the morning. Giving you some idea about the quantity, she sells 1,000 idlis every day. Now explaining the reason why she sells at such low price, she told “Most of the people residing near Vadivelampalayam come from a lower-middle-class background or are economically backward. They are all daily wage workers. In such a case, it is hard for them to pay Rs 15 or Rs 20 for a plate of idli every day for breakfast,”.
It is surprising how she does that but even after selling idlis at such a low price, she manages to make a marginal profit. However, making profits is not her first priority.
Numerous people have requested her to increase the price but she refuses to do so because she wants to sell her idlis to the poor, needy and hungry. She has a set of loyal customers who visit her daily. Also, she has started selling zhunthu bonda at Rs. 2.50 each. Customers love her for the traditional flavor of food she serves.
She is truly an inspiration for people who believe in hard work and humanity.
