The Bread Man of Sevagram: A Journey of Passion and Dedication

As the Bible says, “By the sweat of your brow you will eat,” but as I spoke to Devidas Modak this morning, I couldn’t help but wonder if a new adage was more fitting: “By the sweetness of your bread, you will live.”

Imagine waking up to the sound of Devidas’ voice ringing through the streets of Sevagram every morning. He’s been selling his fresh bread for as long as anyone can remember. With his iron box carefully strapped to the back of his bicycle, he navigates through the winding streets, the aroma of his freshly baked bread wafting behind him.

Devidas visits our colony almost every day, come rain or shine. With a booming voice, he calls out ‘Bread!’ and we come out of our homes to reach for our daily dose of deliciousness from his bicycle. The eggs, delicately packed on the back of his bike, are a special treat for the people.

I couldn’t resist the urge to learn more about him. So, I invited him for an interview, and we agreed to meet at my home on a Friday morning. “This is the only day I can spare for you, I need to focus on my business the rest of the days,” he said.

When Devidas arrived, I welcomed him in and offered him a cup of tea and biscuits, but I couldn’t bring myself to offer him a bread sandwich made from his own bread—that’s his speciality, after all! Instead, I settled for enjoying the delicious aroma of his freshly baked bread.

We exchanged pleasantries, and I expressed my interest in hearing his life story.

Without hesitation, he began to narrate his journey from the very beginning, starting with his birth in Warud on 14 September 1959, to a family of daily labourers. Devidas grew up in poverty and spent most of his life in the village. He attended Yashwant High School in Sevagram, where he managed to complete his education up to the eighth grade.

“I had to take on odd jobs from a young age because of my father’s poverty and the uncertainty of earning during the rainy season,” Devidas recounted. “During summer vacations, I worked as a daily wage labourer with the masons and earned a meagre Rs 3 per day, while this hospital was being constructed in the early seventies,” he added.

Alongside this, he also began selling bread on a cycle that he would buy from Nirmal Bakery in Wardha. It was through his sales of bread that Devidas began to establish himself as a bread seller.

Despite the hard work and low profits, Devidas loved the bread-selling business. He took great pride in delivering fresh bread to his customers every day. He also enjoyed the freedom and independence that came with being his own boss.

Devidas told me that he used to buy bread from Nirmal Bakery in the evenings and return around 10 pm. The next morning, he would wake up early, ride his cycle through the streets of Sevagram, and call out his signature phrase, “Bread! Fresh bread!” His customers would come out of their homes and buy his bread, which he would deliver to their doorstep.

As he spoke, I could see the passion and dedication in his eyes. It was clear that bread-selling was not just a means of earning a livelihood for Devidas but a way of life.

Devidas reminisced about the early days when he first started selling bread in Sevagram. He recalled how Mr. Khubchandani had been instrumental in helping him get started. Khubchandani had lent him an iron box to carry bread from Wardha to Sevagram, which could hold 70 to 80 pieces of bread. During those days, Devidas would rent a bicycle from Zitruji Kulkarni and Chavan at 60 paise a night.

Devidas cherished the wax paper-wrapped bread for its unique taste. He bought each loaf for 55 paise, earning a small profit on every sale. He held the Khubchandani family at Nirmal Bakery in high regard—not forgetting Vithalrao, the manager—recalling the love and affection they showed him throughout the years.

Despite the challenges of getting completely wet during the rainy season and not having spare clothes, Devidas found purpose in his bread-selling business. In the late 1980s, Dr and Mrs Ghuliani were impressed by Devidas’ work ethic and offered him a regular job at the hospital, but he declined, content with his bread-selling business. To him, selling bread was not just a job but a source of pride and joy. It was a way for him to provide for his family. After all these years, Devidas still rides his 20-year-old Atlas bicycle through the streets of Sevagram, selling bread with a smile and a strong determination.

Devidas’s loyal customers appreciated his hard work and dedication to delivering fresh bread to their doorstep every day. His presence in the morning was a welcome sight for many, and people would often wait eagerly for him to arrive. Devidas knew his customers by name and would chat with them as he made his way through the colonies, always wearing a cheerful expression.

His daily routine starts at 6 am when he begins selling bread and eggs in Guru Nanak colony. From there, he cycles to the nurses’ hostel and then proceeds to the homes of almost all the doctors, nurses, and paramedics who live in the area, where he is always greeted with warmth and affection. His daily rounds take him almost three hours, but he enjoys every moment of it.

Devidas said, “Despite my children’s requests to stop selling bread and cycling house-to-house, I continue with my work because it is not just my livelihood but also my passion.” He has grown overweight and now finds it a bit difficult to carry these loads on his bicycle, particularly in harsh winters and scorching summers. Nonetheless, seeing his customers happy with his bread gives him immense satisfaction, and he has developed a loyal customer base over the years. He said, “I take pride in serving my customers every day. The personal touch I add to my business is something that cannot be replaced by big stores or franchises.”

For over 40 years, rain or shine, Devidas has been cycling through the streets of Sevagram, his basket of bread in tow. Every morning, people in Sevagram wake up to the sound of his signature call, eagerly awaiting their daily dose of fresh bread from their beloved local, who has been with them since the 1970s.

“Three generations of families have grown up on my bread, and a morning without Devidas and his signature “Bread!” call is unthinkable to many,” he said. His signature call is a nostalgic memory for many; his personal touch and warm smile have brightened up the lives of his customers.

Little wonder that Devidas is more than just a bread seller to the people of Sevagram!