Pallani’s story was filled with initial hardships and difficulties that he almost gave up on this dream many times. A hard worker and a loving father, Pallani is now a successful businessman owning two different stores.
I spent most of my childhood days on my family’s farm; hours would go by as I helped my father on the fields doing any chores he asked of me. We grew crops like rice, raagi, and groundnuts and sold them at a small shop we owned along with other grocery items. During the time, we lived in a peaceful corner of Polur Village, near Thiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu.
My father did everything he could to take care of us. He put me through school and I studied till 10th standard. But, rather than studies, my interests were in taking care of the farm and helping my family. My father always dreamt of owning a big provision store, and to this day I carry that dream with me.
When it was time to leave home, I moved to Bangalore 20 years ago in search of better opportunities. I worked odd jobs in many small stores and saved up enough money to open my own provision store in 2014. Following my father’s footsteps, I also opened a vegetable store in 2017.
Owning a vegetable store was a great business decision because the products move very quickly and there are good chances of expanding the business. Now, I own two small shops — a provision store and a vegetable store. It has also become my dream, like my father’s, to own a big supermarket which sells both provisions and vegetables in the next couple of years.
Initially, surviving in a new city was difficult; there were times when I wanted to give up and return to my village. But I had a duty towards my children and my family, and it is only because of them that I never turned back and continued working hard towards my dream. I want to give them a comfortable life so that they don’t face any of the hardships I faced. I have three beautiful children — two daughters and a son. They are beautiful, smart and obedient children and I want them to have a proper education. My eldest daughter is studying in her 9th std, my second daughter is in 5th std, and my son is going to start UKG.
Having been a farmer myself, I have always appreciated Ninjacart’s concept. The Collection Centres are close to farms, making it easy to sell crops at one go and the payment is sent within 24 hours as well. Otherwise, farmers would spend hours carrying the produce to markets and they would wait for weeks before they received their payment.
Being a store owner, I can also talk about the benefits of the Ninjacart app for businessmen like me. I can order produce within minutes, and the app is very easy to use. With all my time saved, I have the luxury of spending quality time with my children by dropping them to school every day. I even attend all of their school functions or events.
Rather than spending all my mornings at the market, I am able to focus on my business by depending on Ninjacart for my produce. My customer base has increased thanks to the fresh quality of vegetables. Even though I don’t face any quality issues, I have the option of returning any produce I am not happy with. Now, I can finally run a profitable business and I am closer to achieving the dream of owning a supermarket.
Narrated by M.Palani, Owner SNV VEG Fresh
