Buglers of the street army: How a cooperative is helping roadside vendors

A network and advocacy platform of 636 street vendor organisations representing 867,426 vendors across 25 states of India is bringing together the street food delights from across the country

On January 12, 10 am onwards, Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium will drown in the scent of food — soft, soft galawati kababs sizzling on heavy griddles, the sharp tang of lemon being squeezed on crisp batter fried fish, the intoxicating smell of jalebis being cooked in desi ghee…all the forbidden street food delights from all over India, each different from the other. 

What brings them together is a cooperative called the National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI), a network and advocacy platform of 636 street vendor organisations representing 8,67,426 vendors across 25 states of India. A vendor is anyone