FDI in retail

Giving India opportunity

Alumni get-togethers are the most invigorating meetings that I get to attend. When an alumni meet happens, the discussions invariably veers around to the times spent in the institution. Since many of us from Bhagalpur, thanks to the 15-years of Lalu-Rabri rule, have migrated out of Bihar, the meeting of old junior school mates often has several anecdotes not just about the school but also about the town being recalled.

At one such recent meet, I had narrated an incident involving my father. The point came up for discussion when somebody informed that an old hotel building had been sealed for non-payment of loan to the bank. That hotel had a grocery shop (the typical kirana dookan) on the ground floor. Despite being a busy medical practioner, my father always made it a point to buy the grocery himself.

I still vividly remember, he had returned that morning with empty grocery bag (polythene carry bags were still to come in vogue) and gone straight for his small portable Remington typewriter. Having made out the letter, he had briskly walked out without talking to anyone of us at home to return about half-an-hour later looking very cheerful.

“This shopkeeper’s son would now have a tough time. I have filed a case of hoarding against him with the police, he would now face the music,” he said cheerfully. We egged him to narrate the full story. “He had put stickers on the MRP, trying to sell the old stock of refined oil at the rate of new stock. When I protested, he had the gall to tell me that he would now sell no oil to me,” he said.

The next day, the shopkeeper and his son both were present at our doorsteps with a crate of refined oil packets. “He is your child. He did not recognise you. Please take as many litres of oil as you want and don’t pay anything for it. We must pay for the disrespect we have shown,” said the slimy shopkeeper before sheepishly adding the price he wanted, “Please withdraw the complaint.”

My father was an influential man in the small town and could move the police for something which socially was not even considered a crime. On the contrary my father’s act was considered to be cantankerous and unnecessary. Over the ages, we have allowed the grocer next door to cheat us and commit crimes against us on a daily basis and we have accepted it without protest.

In the past 10 years, however, I have seen revolutionary changes take place in the makeup and behaviour of the neighbourhood grocer. A decade ago, the arrogant Lala would sit on a high pedestal dictating to us what to buy and seldom bothered to address our demands and needs. About five years back, two huge malls opened with 10,000 square-feet super stores as their main attraction.

Since then Lalaji has been a changed man. He uses an electronic weighing machine, cares about not pushing the expired stock and sells them at below the MRP. He keeps himself updated and tries to convince us about his wares. He has also introduced free home delivery service and we have been very happy with our neighbourhood Lala as we are with the super store. Both have ensured that they get a fair share from our family budget.

In the mid-1990s, there was also a big hue and cry when the McDonald’s opened their first outlet in Basant Lok, near Priya cinema in South Delhi. There was a queue outside McD and not many patrons present inside the next door Niruala’s. Since then a lot of changes have taken place — McD has started selling aloo-tikkibread-tikki sold across the national Capital by the street vendors. burger, an adaptation of

On a more serious note, coming of McD and KFC made Indians realise that even their food was capable of competing with the western concept of fast food. The outlets of Nathu’s, Haldiram, Bikanerwala and Kaleva are packaging Indian sweets and snacks like never before. Allowing McD ushered in a culture where the Indian halwai was forced to change the way he sold his mithai. Eating golgappa is no more an adventurous and risky exercise. It can be eaten at peace sitting inside an air-conditioned restaurant without the bother to keep the flies and dogs away.

But have the malls and the McD type outlets led to the shutdown of business for the street vendors? On the contrary, today I see a greater number of food vendors on the streets selling food in my neighbourhood ranging from poori-subzri, chole-chawal, paranthas, samosa-jalebi, dosas, Calcutta rolls to momos. The work force employed at these malls constitutes the clientele of the food vendors, who do a brisk business all through the day.

The malls, superstores, McD and KFC have not really impoverished anybody. Yes they do try to thrive on our greed, but then that’s a negative trait in our character, why should we burn effigy, beat our chest and make police waste precious water in canons to shoot the protests down. For my monthly purchase of 5 kg bag of rice, today I have several options available to me. If that option is increased for me, I would be happier and merrier as I would have the greater opportunity to balance my budget.

Courtesy : The Pioneer