India, April 16 -- U mesh Gowda, 38, is one of the many faces in the crowd of street food vendors who service Mumbai's working population through breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner. Gowda makes a living by selling omelette, bhurji and boiled eggs in Andheri east. Originally from Bengaluru, he moved to Mumbai over a decade ago to make it big in the country's financial capital. But his aspirations were dashed after his partnership in a restaurant ran aground within three months, due to the pandemic. He started the anda-bhurji stall along the Andheri-Kurla Road, a hub of corporate houses. All was going well, until the West Asia conflict's domino effect hit the country's economic condition. "Prices of all the ingredients and other materials required for my daily business have risen in the last couple of months. LPG has become dearer, the cost of vegetables and eggs has shot up. My margins are getting squeezed," said Gowda. " "For example, a pouch of 900 ml cooking oil priced between Rs.115 and Rs.118 is now available for Rs.146 - Rs.150. Cost of packaging materials such as spoons, plates, carry bags, butter paper, etc too has risen by 80%. All of this has put pressure on my daily income," he said. He requires 10 commercial LPG cylinders, priced around Rs.2,000, a month, but has been forced to cut the usage due to unavailability. In order to remain afloat, Gowda has had to increase the price of his food on offer by 25%. Until a month back, an omelette-pav sold for Rs.20, now it's Rs.25. This in turn has impacted his daily sales as well. "My sales have dipped substantially. Earlier, I used to sell about 600 eggs daily, now it's anywhere between 400-450 eggs," he said. He operates the stall for five-and-a-half days a week. In the second half of Saturday, he re-stocks for his business. While Sundays are for family, with rising costs and shrinking profits, he steps out less with his wife and six-year-old daughter. Despite the odds, he has now put his focus on his child's future. "I want to plan for her, to cushion her future," said Gowda. "Life hasn't panned out as I thought. But I'm in a far better situation than several others." ateeq shaikh...