7 Photos of Isa Bajaj Returning to His Hometown and Opening a Food Stall, Admits He Is Often Mistaken for Being Bankrupt by Netizens

"Actually, no. I go to the market to shop, to buy supplies for my stall, but sometimes if I get stocked up by someone who has eels or fish, it can be more than I need, so if I bring too much to the stall, and if someone wants it, I just sell it or give it away," said Isa when met in the Tendean area, South Jakarta, Tuesday (21/1/2025).

When asked about the news that he often searches for eels in the rice fields, Isa denied it. He explained that he does not need to dive directly into the fields to look for eels because there are suppliers who help provide the stock.

"I don't fish, because eels in the rice fields don't need to be fished, so to speak, or searched for. I don't have to dive in myself; there are already suppliers, but sometimes it's excessive, because it's excessive, too much later for stock in the shop," he explained.

Isa acknowledged that many netizens misunderstand his activities in the market. According to him, some internet users think that he sells eels because he is experiencing economic difficulties or bankruptcy.

"If it were up to me, I wouldn't be surprised, no one is surprised, I mean the ones who are surprised are actually the netizens. So many of our netizens still think that selling or trying to trade is considered bankrupt or something like that," Isa stated.

Isa's decision to return to his hometown and start a business began with his intention to accompany his mother who was sick. He felt he didn't want to be a burden to the family, so he chose to open a food stall as a source of income. "Because the intention to come back was actually to accompany my mother. Then at that moment I had to figure out what business to do, I couldn't just accompany my parents and be a hassle, so I just opened food stalls," Isa said.

Although he received negative comments from netizens, Isa admitted that he didn't think too much about it. He felt more focused on his initial goal, which was to live a more meaningful life by accompanying his family and managing the business. "Sometimes I do read the comments from netizens, and that's when I realize, Oh, they think like that, so coming back means going bankrupt, coming back means not selling anything. They don't know that my return has a purpose like that, they don't know, and I'm enjoying it," Isa concluded.