KOCHI: If you smell payasam in the streets and hear a loud voice calling ‘hot sweet payasam for you’ then it is probably Shahul Hameed with his mobile ‘thattukada.’ ‘Herbal Payasam’, as he calls it, is gaining popularity among the pedestrians of Kochi.Shahul sets out every day to different locations with his innovative ‘Sayyara Corolla,’ a pushcart made from cartons affixed on a simple trolley, to sell homemade healthy herbal payasam.A native of Kaipamangalam in Thrissur, Shahul said, “Through this business I want to give a message to those who weep about being unemployed.I believe that willingness to do any type of work can eradicate unemployment and I want to create awareness among the fake people who say that it’s difficult to get a job in this city.” After doing small scale ‘hikmat’ businesses for 14 years in Riyad, Saudi Arabia, Shahul returned home.It has been eight months since he started this new business on the streets of Kochi.Though his herbal payasam is a hot hit, the menu is not limited.He has also experimented with dried ginger coffee and snacks like unniyappam, samosa, parippuvada and neyyapam.He also provides variety in payasams like wheat, vermicelli and paalada.When asked about ingredients of herbal payasam he said, “They are my business secrets.It contains dry ginger, clove, cardamom, etc, making the dish healthy.” He has set clear plans to visit various places across Kerala to sell payasam on his pushcart.“I have decided to go to Calicut and from there I wish to go to Mullaperiyar Dam to show my support to the social issue of the reconstruction of dam,” said Shahul.His family - wife and two kids - have been very supportive for the ‘hikmat’ business he is running now.“I always make sure that great care is taken in preparing payasam.Hygiene is my utmost priority,” said Shahul.He also expressed his happiness in being able to take care of his family with the money he gets from selling payasam.
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