Sudar Sakthi, Arivizhimangalam ( Nannilam)

Petty Shop

Muthulakshmi is a 42-year-old widowed woman from Arivizhimangalam village of Thiruvarur district. She runs a petty shop attached to her residence. She sells snacks, candies, bottled juices, eggs etc at her shop. And also being the local shop she is able to cater to the needs of her neighborhood. She sells essentials like soaps, washing powders, stationaries, etc. The women of the neighborhood feel that her shop has been a blessing, as they don’t have to travel to the town to purchase a small soap or pen. With the earnings from her shop, she is able to manage the household expenses to an extent. Her elder works in a wholesale grocery store in Thiruvarur town. He purchases stocks from his workplace and this is helpful for Muthulakshmi. Her second son is studying in Class 10. Apart from this she also does backyard poultry and goat rearing which helps them meet their expenses. Since the water in the locality is erratic it is difficult for her crops to grow. She remembers vividly of her experience of tasting the well water for the first time and how salty it was.

With plans of sending his second son to college, she wishes to expand her shop so that she will be able to pay for his diploma admission. She plans to expand her petty shop by selling cooking masalas and ingredients which will be of certain need. She also wants to invest in her dairy and poultry in order to increase her income. She thanked her lenders for helping out in the time of need.