Vegetable sellers always have distinctive
integrity, and Siya Walke is full of it. I was intrigued by her when we bought
vegetables from her in Khorlim; my sixth sense often tells me to ask her story.
Her unraveling is kind of like a ‘Hayao Miyazaki’ film taking shape in real
life.
She is currently in
her second year of BSc at Dnyanprasarak Mandal’s College (DMC) Assagao and
intends to major in Chemistry in her final year of graduation. She mentioned
that the Chemistry Department is excellent in that college.
In 2021, she lost to
former junior world champion, now two-time world champion, Nikhat Zareen, in
the Women’s National Boxing Championships after the referee stopped the contest
(RSC) in the opening round, in the 52 kilograms category.
The Goa State Boxing
Championship 2020 saw Siya Walke in her elements. The second-to-last day of the
tournament featured her. That day began with the women’s semi-finals (45-48
kilograms), where she shone. The first round was threatening, with continuous
attacking punches from both sides. Siya dominated the second round with
powerful punches, hardly giving her opponent any chance to attack. Siya began
the third round with vigorous punches, and her opponent couldn’t withstand that
onslaught. Later, the referee ruled RSC in her favour.
Her nerves of steel
help her every day in every way. In Class 10, she scored 87 percent from the
Saraswat School, Mapusa, and during Class 11, at the young age of 17, she
started this vegetable retail business.
It was the dark and
insipid pandemic times when she started her business. Her family of five,
including her parents and two siblings, felt the pangs of despair, scarcity,
and desolation. During the lockdown, her aspirations were dimming at an
alarming rate when she decided that she needed to take control. They had a
garden with fruit trees, and there she spotted small jackfruits. She picked
quite a few of them, loaded them on the scooter, got her father to sit on it,
and started pushing the scooter, from Khorlim to Mapusa, since there was no
petrol.
Her grit gave her the
courage to face the uncertainty. She knew nothing about selling vegetables,
especially during the pandemic when people were scarce on the roads. They set
up and sat down in the Mapusa market, and although it was deserted, she was able
to sell her fruits and earned 800 Rupees. It was her resolve that won the day.
She bought fish,
milk, and bread with that money and saved 300 rupees. She was focused on
getting her family out of these dire times. She noticed that the migrant
labourers near her house were looking for work, so she asked them to pick
fruits for her from her garden. The ripe ones were easy to sell, and with the
green mangoes, she also made pickles to sell. With whatever she could save, she
started buying fresh vegetables from the Moira and Bastora villagers who
reached Mapusa at dawn, and reselling them in Khorlim.
She was a good
student, but the gap in studies during the pandemic and the penury almost broke
her will. The founding understanding of her Science stream studies were
shaking, and she almost decided not to study further and concentrate on her
vegetable stall. Another major reason was that classes were online, and she did
not have a smartphone to attend them.
Then the magic
happened. Although the classes were online, the teachers were doing the live
recording from the college itself, and they personally invited Siya to come to
college to attend the classes. She sat behind the camera while the teachers
were recording in front of the blackboard. She is incredibly grateful for that
gesture of her teachers. She wanted to prove them right and her determination
to study further took root.
In a comic note she
said that she didn’t even have to suffer from a bad erratic network like other
students! She got herself a smartphone when she was nearing the Prelims of the
Class 12 exams. The incident that deeply touched her was when the DMC Principal
came by her shop to encourage her to study. That left an indelible mark on her.
She told me that hope
is her fuel, and she seeks her zeal from the supernatural. Her go-to Gods and
Goddesses are Satteri, Milagres, and Bodgeshwar – The Guardian, ‘Rakhondar’ of
Mapusa, an ‘Angavani,’ a deity who fulfils the desires of his devotees when
they make a vow to him. Devotees of all faiths and religions come to him with
their problems, and he solves them. This tradition continues.
“Sitting in this
vegetable shop, I am not so focused on my career. My motive is to make my
parents and siblings happy. I want to give them a prosperous life,” she muses.
In her heart, gratitude and hope intertwine as she shapes her destiny and
supports her family.
These
are the real heroes of Goa. If you are in Khorlim, Mapusa, do buy fresh
vegetables from her. She wakes up at 3 am to get all the local vegetables. Or
better yet, support her college and boxing training fees. She surely is
stinging like a bee, Goan style.
