Title - Poetry on his lips, hawker lives on

For Ajoy Kumar Kundu, who is a hawker, his daily job is selling pens on trains, but unlike other hawkers, he entertains his customers through his poetry before doing business.Kundu (60), a resident of Bagpara in Rishra, has been into this profession for close to 13 years now and according to him, it has become a passion. "From childhood I loved to recite poetry. In my profession also, I wanted to break away from monotony. I thought about doing something that will help me connect with my customers. I have a knack for writing poems. I decided to recite them on train before selling my products," Kundu said.He earns about Rs 6,000 per month but still manages to save for his son and daughter's study. His daughter is studying civil engineering in a private college, while his son studies in Netaji Subhash Open University.""I earn peanuts and it's almost impossible to save from that amount. But I'm happy to sacrifice for my children, because it's my duty," says Kundu."

"Over the years I've made many friends and now I've developed a bond with my customers," he added.

Kundu comes to Howrah station around 9 am everyday, boards Up Saraighat Express and then hops from one train to another to sell his products, always reciting poems like: Hajir hoeche niye dosher offer, hath bariyee nin jar dorkar, nahole khujben abaar (I have come here to sell many things, if you want you may take something, but if you don't buy you are a loser). He has his book of poems, where he keeps adding his poems.