Man is valued by the amount of wealth he holds. In today’s times of economic ups and downs, twists and turns, business journalism is nothing but an eye opener of what man doesn’t do, to make that extra money. From the common man to corporate, politicians to nations Business Journalism is the study the power and value of money down to every rupee.
While it all seemed very casual and a daily routine, to sip some tea from a nearby college vendor to keep myself from dozing off at lectures, one day , I got caught up in a candid conversation with the man, responsible for keeping me awake and away from embarrassing moments before my professors.
This local tea vendor, is Vishnu – The Chaiwala , just on the back side of my college. He is popular among students and the place where he sits is a popular hangout joint for college students. Come cold, come rain , come sun, a glass of tea, at Vishnu’s is mandatory for every Ruiite.
So in this candid conversation, I thought about asking him what all actually goes on , when I am fresh and alert in my lectures, only because of the special tea, I drink from him.
The conversation with him was not just an eye opener, but also made me respect the tea much more after knowing all that has gone into making one small cup of tea. My friend, Vishnu used to charge, Rs. 3 for a cup of tea and Rs. 4 for a cup of coffee, we call it ‘cutting’ the Indian Ishtyle.
Later he hiked a rupee for each of his products, and got some groans and moans as a reaction from every student. When I reacted the typical stereo typed way , he said , “Paapi Pet Ka Sawal Hai”
So now every little cup of tea costs four rupees and every cup of coffee five rupees. Many prefer the cheaper option, as eighty percent of the people who taste this extra fresh delicacies, go for the Indian ‘tea’ option , being unaware of what they are missing, if they could shed just a rupee more, for the delicious creamy coffee. Twenty percent , however do enjoy the paradise of the creamy, strong and delicious coffee. Vishnu gets to see a variety of faces, everyday , since about a hundred people visit him on an average every day. Ninety percent of these are fun loving college kids. So Vishnu , makes these beverages at his home, which is just stone’s throw away from the place where he operates. He told me that he purchases the ingredients to make tea and coffee in bulk, all together costs him about 3 grands a month. When it comes to quality, with Vishnu, there is no compromise! I have tasted the same coffee, throughout my three years in this college. Vishnu makes good money everyday , approximately four hundred rupees go into his pocket everyday, which brings his monthly earnings to Rs. 12, 000. If we do calculate, the net earnings of Vishnu, he makes some decent bucks, much more than any student! However, unlike a salaried employee, these 12 grands are not consistent for Vishnu. The biggest threat, he faces, is from the Sun. That’s because, students fail to even think of Vishnu Kaka , when it is scorching heat outside the campus. Students rather go for a much expensive option to the cool juice seller bang opposite Vishnu. There are still some ardent tea lovers who love to hang out at Vishnu’s towards the evening, however the biggest threat, comes when they all are off on holidays, during their vacations.
However at such times, shifting the base, is an easy option for Vishnu, and he also , shows a thumb, to the college and hangs out at more central locations, near offices at Dadar.
So, such is the story , of the one and only Vishnu Kaka, the local tea vendor of Ruia, who also has a popular fan page named after him in a social networking website.
