Sumon Mia

Sumon Mia

My name is Suman Khan. My father's name is Yakub Ali Khan and my mother's name is Rabeya Begum. Despite being born in Haluaghat, Mymensingh, everything about my upbringing is in Dhaka, specifically in the Talatola area of Agargaon. I didn't study much when I was younger, so I've been in business since I was a child.

He spoke in order to provide an update on the current state of his business: “At different times in my life, I have engaged in various types of businesses. For example, I have been involved in the shoe and clothing business, but I have not been very successful in any of these businesses. As I’m familiar with the Agargaon area and know many people who do business here, I started a new business here even though I was afraid to do so. While exploring the tourism road in Agargaon to start a business, I saw that there were many food items such as fuchka, chop, burger, and tea, but there was no Cart for Jhal Muri. So, I quickly decided to start a Jhal Muri business and named it "Dhakai Special Muri Vorta," which will carry on the tradition of old Dhaka. Many people in old Dhaka were familiar with me, who also engaged in this type of business. It can be said that my food business started from them.

It was like thinking and doing. I started the business and slowly realized that I needed more capital and more ideas about food processing. I was trying to understand everything. At that time, two representatives from Padakhep Manabik Unnayan Kendra came and talked to all the food business people in our area. They informed us that the Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) had a project in our area which is the Sustainable Enterprise Project (SEP).” Under the project a sub project called "Promotion of Safe Street Food Management Practices" has been introduced which is working in Dhaka's Mohammadpur area.

They told us that I can receive financial and technical assistance of all kinds from this project. In the future, for the sake of expanding my business, I took a loan of fifty thousand taka and I have upgraded my food van. Now with the help of the project I can participate in various types of training to ensure food processing and safe food. In this way, both I and many others like me are gaining education and theoretical knowledge in business. They are helping us with various tools such as dustbins, gloves, chopping boards, aprons, masks, hair caps, etc. to work so that we can make safe food in a healthy way. As a result, my business is developing, and my mental stress has also been reduced.