Bengaluru: Lockdown due to coronavirus had been a great period of economic depression. With all financial activities coming to a grinding halt, it had become next to impossible for many to lead their lives. 

Geeta Jaiswal from Allahabad was no exemption. 

She had been running a food business for a long time. But the onset of pandemic was the worst thing that happened to her. She suffered a lot of losses as the demand plummeted. But she was not the one to be bogged down by it. 

As the lockdown was announced, she decided to change the dishes she used to sell. In July, she started selling idli-sambar in her food stall. Slowly but surely, she began to sell more and more idlis and earned good profits. 

She says, as quoted by Dainik Bhasker, “I came to my house in July and could not understand what to do. Rent was to be paid. I had to pay tuition fees for my kid. With great courage, I once again started a food stall, but this time I thought of selling idli-sambar, because it costs less and people of all ages like it. Work started on 28 July. Business got set well within a few days. I set up a stall in Shalimar Bagh. Stalls are held from 5 pm to 10 pm. It is common for 40 to 50 customers to arrive. I also sell dosa along with idli. Now there is a business of three to three and a half thousand rupees a day. After cutting everything, Rs 40 to 45 thousand is left.”

She says that social media too helped her a lot in expanding her business. Now, with good business, she feels more confident. 

Though lockdown was a bolt from the blue, for Geeta, it was also an opportunity to change focus.