Fruit seller's 'orange tree' steals the spotlight

Vendor's creative display becomes a popular attraction for lawyers, litigants and children

RAWALPINDI:

Proving the adage "necessity is the mother of invention," a fruit seller outside the district courts has creatively tied oranges to a nearby tree to attract customers, giving the impression that he is selling freshly picked fruit.

Lawyers, litigants, children and especially women visitors find the display amusing and often stop to buy from him.

Some children even request that the oranges be "plucked" for them.

The vendor, who has been working in the old district courts area near the Jinnah Park entrance for 14 years, sells oranges at Rs250 per dozen.

He also offers sliced oranges with black salt and pepper for Rs100 per plate. He hangs about four dozen oranges on the tree each morning before arranging the rest of his stall.

Speaking to this correspondent, the vendor, Fida Hussain Shah, said his idea of hanging oranges had proved very successful. Although it requires extra effort, it has significantly improved his business.

Lawyers praise the creativity, and many buy oranges both for home and to eat on the spot. Women lawyers, he said, particularly appreciate the display and often purchase multiple dozen.

Children accompanying their mothers insist on buying oranges from the decorative setup, and the vendor helps them "pluck" the fruit from the tree. Police officers and court staff are also among his customers.

He recalled that at one point, a judge, after noticing the setup, sent his naib qasid to buy two dozen oranges.

President of the District Bar Association, Sardar Manzar Bashir, said the vendor's creativity added charm to his business and had effectively converted an ordinary tree into an "orange tree."

The fruit seller has gained popularity across the courts and judicial complex, with visitors often telling others to "meet near the orange tree at the courthouse gate."