Meet Raisa Ansari, ‘PhD vegetable seller’ from Indore

Raisa Ansari caught the attention of netizens when a video of her protest went viral in the social media. The woman vegetable seller was spotted opposing the municipal authorities who had visited the area to remove vegetable carts as a part of lockdown measures. Raisa talked about her concerns to the authorities in fluent English.

This woman, who has a vegetable shop at Malwa Mill in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore, was later identified to be a former PhD scholar in Material Science from Indore’s Devi Ahilya University. The information was received with surprise by social media users. 

In the video, she is seen saying that the repeated lockdowns in Indore’s market have left many of them penniless. She added that there are hardly any buyers.

“We are supposed to feed our families. I am selling fruits and vegetables here. People standing here are my family and friends. There are more than 20 members in the family. How will they survive? How they will earn? There is no rush on the stall but still, these officials keep telling us to run away,” she says.

When she was asked why she didn’t go for a better job, Raisa says that she didn’t get one.

“The perception that coronavirus is being generated from Muslims has become common now. Because my name is Raeesa Ansari, no college or research institution is willing to give me a job,” she says.