A few days ago I was meeting friends for dinner for a birthday celebration. And as Indian Standard Time goes they were predictably late, although the predictability didn’t help the long wait.
I was waiting for them at Dadar Station, which in my mind is the busiest station that ever existed. People whizzing in and out, running for trains, changing direction, screaming at people bumping into them, children running about the place while their parents figure out which train to take and the heat getting on everyone’s nerves.
I decided to perch myself right under the fan that was generating the strongest breeze and which also happened to be belting out the loudest noise. As I waited for tardy friends (who I hope will read this post) I noticed two kids (a boy and a girl) standing near the newly installed Smart Card Ticket Machines. They in turn were surrounded by a huge crowd waiting for their tickets. As the crowd dispersed, I heard the boy scream ‘local ticket yahan milega, local ticket yahan milega’. (Local tickets available here). The long line of commuters waiting to buy tickets at the counter soon ran to them.
So what exactly was happening… One of them was operating the machine and the other was collecting the money in a little box. At first I thought the two were probably charging a commission on each ticket. So I moved closer to figure out what was happening. But when I inquired with one of their customers, it turned out that they weren’t charging anything for their services.
When the crowd around them had dwindled to a few people I asked the little chap what was in it for them if they charged the the same rate… and this is what he said… For every 500 rupees of tickets they sell, they make 50 rupees from the ticketing counter. That works out to a 10% commission. 50 rupees on every 500 may seem little, but at Dadar station there is no dearth of commuters waiting to buy tickets and it seemed like their 500 top-up lasted all of 15-20mins.
Before I got a chance to ask any more questions, there was another crowd of commuters waiting for tickets. Who exactly it was who was paying them this commission, I don’t know… How old were these kids, I’m guessing approximately anyway between 13 and 15yrs. I was just struck by the ingenuity and tenacity of it all.
5 comments:
that description of Dadar station brought a rush of memories of the Mumbai trains, long chats on the train, the smells etc etc
Sensitively written. Good to know that you keep your eyes open and keep your mind alive :)
Loved the piece.... And hey for me i dare step on Dadar Station... i compare it to a waterfall of people....
hi... its good to know that the facility which our railways provide us to get ticketing faster...is sued atleast...coz at many statiosn i see the smart card box used for everythign else other than ticketing...and obviously not evryone is aware about the system n hwo to use it...n these small chidlren would make whatever 50 rs a day is also a big amount for them.... way to go ..mumbai is full of small entreprenuers....they just need the right direction...!
Great Story
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