Kochi: Hanan hardly needs an introduction to Keralites. The Kochi student, who became a rage on social media by selling fish in her college uniform, has hogged headlines ever since - whether it be her film debut, music albums or the latest episode of car-crash which confined her to wheelchair for almost two months. Having recovered from a spinal injury, Hanan is all set to relaunch her fish trade, this time through an exclusive online platform. Hanan announced her online fish-selling website called 'Viral Fish Mall' here on Wednesday.
Commenting on her new venture, Hanan said, “I attained all this fortune because my story went viral on social media. I am thankful to all those who made me viral, both in positive and negative ways. My name is familiar even to the children in Kerala because of the love and support offered by netizens."
"The name of my e-business platform is actually a tribute to those who made me viral,” Hanan told Onmanorama.
Hanan has purchased a vehicle and hired a driver-cum-delivery boy to carry out her business. The fish mall will start functioning from first week of November. Kochi natives can visit the website, choose the type and quantity of fish they want and place their order for the day. Door delivery will be carried out during fixed hours, taking the traffic, availability of fish and distance to the delivery point into consideration.
'Hodo,' a Kochi-based web-designing collective helped Hanan with the technical and legal aspects of her e-business. “Hodo has promised to design a suitable logo, block the domains and carry out legal registration process,” Hanan said.
Stepping out of comfort zone
Hanan became famous for her efforts to earn a livelihood in order to support her studies and family. Her story of self-reliance and enthusiasm inspired several college students of Kerala to take up part-time profession and support themselves.
“Many students approached me asking how did I gain the courage to venture out into fish-trade while still being a student. My circumstances forced me to do that. You have to leave your comfort zone to start earning money,” Hanan says. So, she decided to extend job opportunities for income-seeking students through her e-business portal. In the second phase of project implementation, Viral Fish Mall will hire young college students who own two-wheelers to collect and deliver fish to the customers.
“I envisage this in the style UberEats or Swiggy follow. I can't forget my difficult times. I know many students would come up enthusiastically if someone offers them a secure platform for a part-time job. This would be the second phase of my project implementation. First, let me start it on my own and start gaining profit from it. I want the support of all Kochiites for that,” said Hanan.
A dream that revived her spirit
Hanan suffered a nasty injury in a car accident on September 2. She was confined to wheelchair for almost two months following the spinal injury. Doctors even ruled out the possibility of Hanan getting up and walking on her own ever again. Yet, a gritty Hanan got up from her wheelchair within 45 days and started walking without crutches. Hanan revealed that awareness about her limitations and big ambitions spurred her speedy recovery.
“I know I have no one to support me if ever I become bedridden for a lifetime. I have to prove myself before all those who defamed, humiliated and underestimated me. I was running out of money. All that I earned by performing inaugurations and stage programmes were over during these 60 days of bed-rest. I purchased my vehicle and web domain from what remained. Now I have to start from zero,” she said.
Recalling her miracle recovery, Hanan said, “The pain of losing my opportunities in movies and music albums I had signed, was always there in my mind when I spent days in the hospital."
"One night, I had a dream that I was acting in a movie as superstar Mammootty's daughter. I was running up a steep road amid a fight sequence. I could feel the restlessness of my legs. Suddenly I got up from my sleep and had an intuition that I am finally able to walk on my own. I got up from my bed and proceeded to the hall, leaving the nursing staff in utter surprise,” Hanan said.
The 21-year-old said that the car accident gave her a taste of how toddlers feel when they start walking for the first time. “The only difference is that children will have parents to cheer and encourage them when they start walking. I had no one but myself to encourage me.”.
Initially, Hanan had plans to open a fish outlet at Thammanam, Kochi. Later, she lost the room she hired owing to some property dispute between its owners. But, Hanan's fish van is all set to race through Thammanam junction for an hour or two in the evening once her business starts functioning.
