Why India Works

*Why India Works - written by internationally-acclaimed film director

Shekhar Kapoor.*****

 ****

A greater ‘hole in the wall’ you cannot imagine. A small fading sign on the

top saying “Cellphoon reapars” barely visible through the street vendors

crowding the Juhu Market in Mumbai. On my way to buy a new Blackberry, my

innate sense of adventure made me stop my car and investigate. A shop not

more than 6 feet by 6 feet. Grimy and uncleaned.****

‘Can you fix a Blackberry ?”****

‘Of course, show me”****

”How old are you” ‘Sixteen’****

Bullshit. He was no more than 10. Not handing my precious blackberry to a 10

year old in unwashed and torn T shirt and pyjamas! At least if I buy a new

one, they would extract the data for me. Something I have been meaning to do

for a year now.****

‘What’s wrong with it?”****

‘Well, the roller track ball does not respond. It’s kind of stuck and I

cannot operate it”****

He grabs it from my hand and looks at it****

“You should wash your hands. Many customers have same problem. Roller ball

get greasy and dirty, then no working’****

Look who was telling me to wash my hands. He probably has not bathed for 10

days, I leaned out to snatch my useless blackberry back..****

” You come back in one hour and I fix it’.****

I am not leaving all my precious data in this unwashed kid’s hands for an

hour. No way.****

“Who will fix it?”****

‘Big brother’****

‘How big is ‘big brother?’****

‘big …. Umm ..thirty’****

Then suddenly big brother walks in. 30 ??? He is no more than 19.****

‘What problem?’ He says grabbing the phone from my greasy hand into his

greasier hand. Obviously not trained in etiquette by an upmarket retail

store manager.****

‘Normal blackberry problem. I replace with original part now. You must wash

your hand before you use this’. What is this about me washing my hands

suddenly??****

19 year old big brother rummages through a dubious drawer full of junk and

fishes out a spare roller ball packed in cheap cellophane wrapper. Original

part? I doubt it. But by now I am in the lap of the real India and there is

no escape as he fishes out a couple of screwdrivers and sets about opening

my Blackberry.****

“How long will this take?”****

”Six minutes”****

This I have to see. After spending the whole morning trying to find a

Blackberry service centre and getting vague answers about sending the phone

in for an assessment that might take a week, I settle down next to his

grubby cramped work space. At least I am going to be able to watch all my

stored data vanish into virtual space. People crowd around to see what’s

happening. I am not breathing easy anyway. I tell myself this is an

adventure and literally have to stop myself grabbing my precious Blackberry

back and making a quick escape. But in exactly six minutes this kid handed

my Blackberry back. He had changed the part and cleaned and serviced the

whole phone. Taken it apart, and put it together. As I turned the phone on

there was a horrific 2 minutes where the phone would not come on. I looked

at him with such hostility that he stepped back.****

‘you have more than thousand phone numbers ?”****

‘yes’.****

‘backed up?’****

‘no’****

‘Must back up. I do it for you. Never open phone before backing up’****

‘You tell me that now?’****

But then the phone came on and my data was still there. Everyone watching

laughed and clapped. This was becoming a show. A six minute show. I asked

him how much.****

‘500 rupees’ He ventured uncertainly. People around watched in glee

expecting a negotiation.****

That’s $10 dollars as against the Rs 30,000 ($ 600) I was about to spend on

a new Blackberry or a couple of weeks without my phone. I looked suitably

shocked at his ‘high price’ but calmly paid him. Much to the disappointment

of the expectant crowd****

‘do you have an I-Phone ? Even the new ‘4D one ?****

‘no, why”****

‘I break the code for you and load any ‘app’ or film you want. I give you 10

film on your memory stick on this one, and change every week for small fee’*

***

I went home having discovered the true entrepreneurship that lies at what we

call the ‘bottom of the pyramid’. Some may call it piracy, which of course

it is, but what can you say about two uneducated and untrained brothers aged

10 and 19 that set up a ‘hole in the wall’ shop and can fix any technology

that the greatest technologists in the world can throw at them. I smiled at

the future of our country. If only we could learn to harness this potential.

****

‘Please wash your hands before use’ were his last words to me. *Now I am

feeling seriously unclean.***** 

Disclaimer: Its a fwd I got from someone and any law violation should be aimed at that person and not him. In case anyone has any problem with this article, he/she should email me his/ her protest.