BUSINESS ACUMEN

BUSINESS ACUMEN

We were walking out after our Darshan at the temple. The temple was crowded, being a Sunday. We were squeezing ourselves out through the wicket door near the security and walking back to where the car was parked. Suddenly I could feel the scratch on my left side. I turned around to see a famished, forlorn-looking, bare-footed young boy looking up at me and my wife with pleading eyes. I was reminded of the NO-BEGGAR ZONE boards I had seen along the road.Yet I hesitated. The child was so weak and had really beseeching eyes.

I think my hands went to my hip pocket to pick up my wallet. The bright lad immediately made out what I was about to do. He immediately told me in Marathi, which I could barely follow, that he wanted no money! No money ? I was surprised. Then what did he want? He continued to tell us that he needed no money but only wanted to be bought a small toy being sold on the pavement by a lady wearing soiled clothes and a small child hanging around her. I was surprised at this unusual request. My heart went out to the boy. See, here is one boy who does not want to beg for money. Who could blame him for wanting to play around with a toy, that would not be worth more than Ten rupees? There were so many passers-by , on the way back from the Temple, buying toys from the way-side shops and vendors for their kids. How could this small boy, hardly five or six, resist the temptation to possess a toy for himself? We went to the lady and picked up the piece the boy had pointed out. It was a toy car made of plastic. We were shocked when she said it cost Rs 25/- We bargained but she was not willing to come below Rs.20/-. We knew the toy wouldn't cost more than Rs.10/-.But the eager look in the boy's eyes and the lady's stubbornness made us agree to Rs.20/-. When the boy got the toy and thankfully touched our feet and ran away with his new possession, both our eyes welled up in joy. We were so happy that we done a good deed.
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Was it on Diwali day or the Sunday after that? I don't recollect. But the Temple was again crowded. On our way to the Temple, we saw the same lady vendor sitting on the pavement with her spread of cheap toys. She had the small child with her alright. We also saw a boy sitting next to her and taking the food she was giving. Must be her elder child. But when we neared the duo, we were surprised to see the stark resemblence between the boy next to her and the one we had made happy during our previous visit. May be they all looked alike. We ignored the thought and went in to the Temple for our prayers. After Darshan we came back the same way. As soon as we got out of the wicket gate near the security,my eyes fell on the vendor lady. Well, she was there with both her children.When we neared them,the boy got up and went to the other side of the road and disappeared in the crowd. As we passed the lady, I felt that familiar scratch on my side.I turned around to look into the eyes of the same boy whom I had made happy the last time and the same boy whom we had seen this day being fed by the vendor lady. He started off in Marathi that he wanted no money but only wanted a small toy form the vendor he was pointing to. He was pleading with all the eagerness a child of his age could muster. I looked at my wife. She had also understood the game plan. We were shocked at this type of innovative business trick of this mother-son duo........... We didn't know how to react..............................................................