At 65, Neela Aaji still makes the long journey from Nashik to Mumbai, carrying sacks of freshly harvested corn. The 'white bhutta' that diabetics love, the golden 'yellow bhutta' whose smoky aroma fills the market both find their way to her corner in Crawford Market, where she has sat for over 35 years.
To many, she is more than a vendor. She is the grandmother of the market, her smile has welcomed generations of customers. People don’t just come for corn; they come for her warmth, for the comfort of tradition.
She comes from a farming family in Nashik. For decades, families like hers have grown maize and travelled to Mumbai to sell it. People here know them as the ‘makaiwale’- the corn sellers. It’s less about caste or labels, and more about a shared identity built on hard work, tradition, and survival. Her market is a family. Fellow vendors protect her spot, share cups of tea, and stand together when margins shrink or rules shift.
Life has never been easy. Transport costs rise, prices swing, competition grows. But what keeps Neela Aaji going is her hard work. Every day she takes the effort to dress neatly in her bright saree, corn in hand - a picture of hard work and self-respect.
Asked her why she continues, and she answers with a grandmother’s gentle smile: ‘आता सवयच झाली आहे… कामाशी जिव्हाळा आहे, आणि सगळे मिळून पुढं जावं अशी इच्छा आहे.’ (It has become a habit now… I have an attachment to this work, and I just wish that everyone moves forward together)
In her story lives the truth of thousands of women like her. Neela Aaji shows us that sometimes the smallest stalls carry the biggest lessons.
The Tribal Box
Neela Aaji :The Grandmother of Crawford Market!
At 65, Neela Aaji still makes the long journey from Nashik to Mumbai, carrying sacks of freshly harvested corn. The 'white bhutta' that diabetics love, the golden 'yellow bhutta' whose smoky aroma fills the market both find their way to her corner in Crawford Market, where she has sat for over 35 years.
To many, she is more than a vendor. She is the grandmother of the market, her smile has welcomed generations of customers. People don’t just come for corn; they come for her warmth, for the comfort of tradition.
She comes from a farming family in Nashik. For decades, families like hers have grown maize and travelled to Mumbai to sell it. People here know them as the ‘makaiwale’- the corn sellers. It’s less about caste or labels, and more about a shared identity built on hard work, tradition, and survival.
Her market is a family. Fellow vendors protect her spot, share cups of tea, and stand together when margins shrink or rules shift.
Life has never been easy. Transport costs rise, prices swing, competition grows. But what keeps Neela Aaji going is her hard work. Every day she takes the effort to dress neatly in her bright saree, corn in hand - a picture of hard work and self-respect.
Asked her why she continues, and she answers with a grandmother’s gentle smile:
‘आता सवयच झाली आहे… कामाशी जिव्हाळा आहे, आणि सगळे मिळून पुढं जावं अशी इच्छा आहे.’
(It has become a habit now… I have an attachment to this work, and I just wish that everyone moves forward together)
In her story lives the truth of thousands of women like her. Neela Aaji shows us that sometimes the smallest stalls carry the biggest lessons.
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2 months ago | [YT] | 11