In Times of Crisis, Newspapers are there for You

By Deepti Asthana

How Mrs. Priyolyne Marbole kept the locals informed by selling Khasi newspapers.

Mrs. Priyolyne Marbole has been running a small newspaper shop since last 40 years, first as a teenager, then as an adult and now a woman with immense grit and courage. In this photo story I am introducing her life and courage as part of my hero 2020 story.

Stray dogs in Shillong being fed maintaining the social distancing

Meghalaya has been observing lockdown two weeks prior to the national lockdown that was announced on 24th March. As soon as awareness on COVID spread in Shillong, the normal lives of everyone changed and terms like ‘social distancing’ became the new way of life.

Photograph of a man on his duty as traffic controller

Streets were empty and people were locked in their houses which led to isolation and loneliness in the community.

Portrait of Mrs. Priyolyne in her shop

As per the Government orders there was a complete lockdown in Shillong and none of the shopkeepers were allowed to keep the shop open. However, Mrs. Priyolyne got permission to keep her shop open throughout the lockdown.

A small space was provided to Mrs. Priyolyne by municipality almost 40 years ago

This shop provided to her by the municipality of Meghalaya is her way of earning for the last 40 years. “Only when the newspaper is closed, my shop is closed; else there is no holiday for me. I like my work, I like to be here every day,” says Kong Priyolyne.

Mrs. Priyolyne giving newspaper early morning to one of the customers

Kong, which means sister in Khasi language, is how people refer to her. Kong Priyolyne opens her shop at 5:30 am in the morning. Different newspaper distributors come to drop their bundle at her shop.

Photograph of a foggy day in Shillong

Irrespective of the weather or political situation, the shop is always open. Many people rely on her as the shop is centrally located. “In all these years, I have known so many people who have become friends over the years. During COVID time, people would bring me food, gloves, and masks to ensure my well-being,” says Kong Priyolyne.

Photograph of Mrs. Priyolyne in her shop

“I don’t read newspapers myself, especially these days. If I read the newspaper it would scare me a lot. But I can read only Khasi newspapers and not English."

"I can also speak Hindi which I learnt only by interacting with people in the shop. The customers would correct me if I say something wrong,” says Kong Priyolyne.

Photograph of betel-nut leaves to be served to one of the customers

‘Kwai’ - a paan served with a generous dose of areca nut, betel leaf and lime is the common mouth freshener for Khasis. Among many other products, this is most commonly sold at her shop.

Kong with her friend and business partner

Meghalaya has an exceptionally high woman force and women street vendors. Kong finds company with other women shopkeepers in the neighbourhood. The women like to work, and contribute to the family economy here.

One of the regular customers at the shop

“This shop is everything for me. I got to know so many people and their lives through this shop. This is my safe space and my window to the world,” says Kong while serving one of her regular customers.

Portrait of Kong Priyolyne

“I do not fear anyone. I come and go in the dark every day. When I haven’t done anything wrong to anyone, I believe nothing wrong would happen to me and my customers are always watching out for me,” says Kong.

Kong counts the total earning for the day

“I don’t earn much running this shop and there are often unexpected expenses. Last month I got hit by a young boy, the same age as my son. My glasses broke and I couldn’t say anything to him. He was just like my son,” says Kong upon asking her daily income.

Kong Priyolyne taking a nap in her shop

Kong Priyolyne is taking a nap in her shop. The shop is literally her second home as she ends up spending more time here than her own home.

A young girl talks over phone as she queues up for buying goods at a neighbouring shop

“I can’t wait for the pandemic to be over. It has affected my sales. Also, now people read a lot on mobile phones. But the young people don’t understand the relevance of an actual newspaper. You can’t compare it with reading news on phone,” says Kong.

Photograph of locals Khasi tribe who are regular at Kong’s shop

While social distancing is still a norm, newspapers always bind people through conversation, opinion and political views.

What Kong Priyolyne has been providing to people has immense value in the time, when everything is becoming digital and affecting our capability of socializing in the actual sense. Her courage and grit are remarkable.

About the Photographer

Deepti Asthana is an independent documentary photographer based in India. She is currently working on a long term project to document the contribution of Indian women in wildlife and conservation. The project is supported by the National Geographic Society. Her work has been published in National Geographic magazine, BBC News, Al Jazeera English, Huffington Post, and many more.

Project Location

Shillong, India

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