Interesting Case Study.!!. Samosa Vendor-India!!

The Samosa Vendor
White Collar Vs. Blue Collar

A short, but, a real story!
Today in India its unbelievable .......
The numbers are a little difficult to
swallow, ......  But interesting nevertheless.
It was my regular train journey home from
work. I boarded the 18:50pm train at from Paranur. When the train was about
to leave Guduvanchery, a samosa vendor with an empty basket got on and
took the seat next to me. As the compartment was sparsely occupied and
my destination was still far away, I got into a conversation with him.
Me: "Seems like you've sold all your
samosas today."
Vendor (smiling): "Yes. By God's grace,
full sales today."
Me: "I really feel sorry for you people.
Don't you get tired doing this tiresome job the whole day?"
Vendor: "What to do, sir? Only by selling
samosas like this every day do we get a commission of 75 paise for each
samosa that we sell."
Me: "Oh, is that so ? How many samosas
do do sell on an average each day?"
Vendor: "On peak days, we sell 3,000
to 3,500 samosas per person. On dull days, we can't even move 1,000 samosas
a day. On an average, we sell about 2,000 samosas a day."
I was speechless.....for a few seconds.
The guy says he sells 2,000 samosas a day; at .75 paise each, he makes
about 1,500 rupees daily, or 45,000 rupees a month. That's Rs. 45,000 a
month. OMG. I intensified my questioning and this time it was not for time
pass.
Me: "Do you make the samosas yourself?"
Vendor: "No Sir. Our proprietor gets
the samosas through a samosa manufacturer and we just sell them. After
selling we give him the money and gives us 75 paise for each samosa that
we sell."
I was unable to speak a single word more
but the vendor continued...but one thing...most of our earnings are spent
on living expenses. Only with the remaining money are we able to take care
of other business.
Me: "Other business? What is that?"
Vendor: "It is a land business. In
2007 I bought 1.5 acres in Urupakkam for 3 lakh rupees and I sold it a
few months back for 15 lakhs. Now I have bought land in Uthiramerur for
5 lakh rupees."
Me: "What did you do with the remaining
amount?'
Vendor: "Of the remaining amount, I
have set aside 6 lakhs for my daughter's wedding. I have deposited the
other 4 lakhs in the bank."
Me: "How much schooling have you had?"
Vendor: "I studied up to third standard;
I stopped my studies when I was in the 4th standard. But I know how to
read and write. Sir, there are many people like yourself, who dress well,
wear a tie, wear shoes, speak English fluently and work in air-conditioned
rooms. But I don't think you guys earn as much as we do wearing dirty clothes
and selling samosas."
At this point, what could I reply. After
all, I was talking to a millionaire! The train chugged into Chromepet station
and the samosa vendor got up from his seat.
Vendor: "Sir, this is my station...have
a good day."
Me: "Take care."
What more is there to say...!