Humans of Wanderlust: Abhishek from Gokarna

Abhishek Kumar from Gokarna is a mala seller at Kudle beach. He sells malas and ornaments. He has good convincing and selling skills.

He has been doing this work from the last one year. His friends are at Kudle beach for eight years. Before this, Kumar used to work as a flower seller in different parts of Maharashtra like Shirdi, Manmad and Bhusawal.

He is not educated because his family couldn’t afford the school fees. He started working from a very young age to help his family.

Abhishek’s family stays near Kudle beach and his sister is married in Goa. His mother lives alone in Gokarna because his father is no more and hence he cannot work outside the town.

His father’s death forced him to return to the temple town and search a new source of income. “My mother was alone and as her son it was my duty to come back here and look after her. Selling malas is what I found to be a good way to make a living,” he said.

There are more than 30 mala sellers at Kudle beach. They all bring their stock mostly from Jaipur, Delhi and Mathura. They go in a group to buy in bulk which helps them to buy stock at cheaper rates.

How is tourism in Gokarna?

Abhishek said mostly Indians are the main customer right now because foreigners are interested in this. But they buy not like Indian tourists, he added.

He said, “December is the best month to visit Gokarna because the climate is cool compared to other months. Gokarna is also referred to as the hippie town like Hampi. But in Hampi, you will find more Israelis. Here in Gokarna, you will find more Russians. Still, Gokarna is not commercialised like it’s famous neighbour Goa.”