Entrepreneurs in Lahore

Lahore is such a vibrant place… in a single trip around town, you get to see so many colours of life in this city. People seem to be at peace with themselves and life. I feel a sense of purpose that emanates from these folks despite their leisurely pace and easy manner.

Having lived outside of Pakistan since the early 1990s, I had succumbed somewhat to believing  that people in Pakistan must be unhappy with their lot.... The talk show hosts paint a very gloomy picture of the happenings in the streets of Pakistan. I cannot shy away from the fact that violence and selfishness has become a way of life for some people, that the value system has eroded quite a bit and while some nations in the Middle East have risen to make a destiny for themselves, we have regressed quite steadily… but something makes me believe in the future of this country. Resilient and smiling, the people of Pakistan are the key pillar on which rests the destiny of this country.  Let me introduce you to one of them who owns a small business selling hot tea from a makeshift stand.

 Abid Hussain : honest, content and hardworking

Abid Hussain is a pleasant man in his thirties. Greeting us with a winsome smile, he offered us hot tea from a large pot. His main clients are the shopkeepers in a market located in Valancia, Lahore and their workers. Abid arrived in Lahore to find work. Desperate to make some money, he decided to start selling tea to the shopkeepers in the market where he was staying as a guest. His tea stall is located close to a shop selling Lahori breakfast… awesome strategic marketing …

Investing in a rickety table, about six mugs of various designs and shapes, a large pot, a gas stove, a tiny gas cylinder and small packets of tea, milk and sugar, Abid launched his small business. 

Abid's customers

Abid makes about 15 thousand rupees a month (USD 150) for his family … two young children, a wife, and parents who live in a village in Sheikhupura. When I asked him whether he felt any resentment towards the people who live in the large villas in front of his tea stand, he insisted that he is satisfied with his lot in life. The most heartwarming was his response when I asked him what should the Government to do for him. He thought long and hard and eventually said that he wants to be a responsible citizen. Even when I insisted, he could not list even one thing he expected anyone else to do for him. A lesson for the whiners…

Well spoken and polite, he surprised me by telling me that he has never been to school. He attributes his strong values to his parents and his Quraan teacher.

Sipping hot tea bought from this tiny stand, I could not help dreaming that one day Abid’s business will grow into a large chain of Cafes. So far his clients only ask for strong sweet hot tea with milk but who knows what tomorrow may have in store for this brave, honest and hard-working man.