Paper short abstract:

Street vendors are thus a part of the city and help the city in many ways. The study attempts to use an Ethnographic lens to understand the streets of Mumbai from the perspective of the street vendors.

Paper long abstract:

Street vendors are defined as 'self-employed workers in the informal sector who offer their labour to sell goods and services on the street without having any permanent built-up structure' (National Policy on Urban Street Vendors [NPUSV], 2006, p. 11) (Saha, 2011).

Street vendors are a lively part of the urban informal economy. Various studies have shown they play a dynamic role in the economy providing supply of necessary and essential goods and services at an affordable rate. In spite of this, street vendors are often considered a nuisance to the city life. They have to regularly pay bribes in order to keep their profession running. They are considered to be a reflection of the poverty and the illiterate migrants who come to the city searching for better jobs. Many times they are forcefully evicted from their vending spots in the name of constructions and "beautification".

What becomes important for a city like Mumbai is that street vendors have been a part of the city for many years and therefore any development policy or scheme will not be successful without their inclusion. Street vendors are thus a part of the city and help the city in many ways. This fact has often been neglected.

With the help of discussions with Street Vendors and observations, the study attempts to use an Ethnographic lens to understand the streets of Mumbai from the perspective of the street vendors and how they struggle daily with the state to assert their livelihood rights.