Buffering Love by Issac M John

Author:Issac M John
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9789387326347
Publisher: Penguin Random House India Private Limited
Published: 2017-10-25T00:00:00+00:00

Lights, Camera, Cut

‘How will I know whom to sell DVDs to?’ Budhia, the security guard at the hallowed National School of Drama vented his ire to Mohanty, the tea vendor. Budhia was particularly incensed because of the newly received missive from Prof. Albert Costanza of the Alternative Films and Theatre Division fame.

He continued, ‘The normal scrap-metal guys here have no use for DVDs. And this professor has been after my life to create space for new journals in the library.’

Mohanty, who was more interested in selling an extra cup of tea, pretended to empathize with a couple of nods. ‘Should I fill one more cup? This time with extra cardamom,’ he egged Budhia.

‘No, bhai. One cup during the day only. Anyway, you please ask around if any of your guys can take some 500 DVDs from here. The professor will practically give them away for free.’

‘What does one do with these DVDs?’ Mohanty asked.

‘These are films, very good films, but not like the ones that you and I watch. These are international films. Old but very good. One can rent them and make some extra money on the side. Will help if you know your films,’ Budhia said, savouring the last gulp from his glass. Mohanty’s tea was a stellar brew.

Mohanty bid goodbye to Budhia and went on his way towards the next road where his patrons from various government offices descended at 11 a.m. every day for mid-morning tea. This is where he made most of his money. The visit to Budhia was purely a ceremonial start to his day. There were no more than a handful of customers at the National School of Drama, but he liked talking to the whiny Budhia. There was always something wrong with his life that Budhia couldn’t wait to talk about.

That June 2008 night, while Mohanty counted his savings for the year, he thought it was time to invest in a new business. The conversation around DVDs and starting a rental shop wasn’t a bad one, he deduced. For months now, Mohanty’s friend Jagannath had been persuading him to start a cigarette stall near Regal in Connaught Place.

‘Customers keep floating all through the day. Not like your tea business, where you must drag your cycle along,’ Jagannath reasoned with Mohanty.

Since he was familiar with Regal, Mohanty knew many people who would come and watch English films in Connaught Place. The thought that he could rent a corner shop near Regal and run his tea business alongside was worth considering. Besides, his fifteen-year-old Atlas cycle was getting creakier by the day and Jagannath had promised to find a corner shop for under Rs 15,000 per month.

‘Imagine how much time you will save if you don’t have to travel from office to office,’ Jagannath said.

‘But right now, I don’t have any rent expense, Jaggan. If I take the spot, I can’t do only the tea business from there. For the new extra rent, I will have to find a new business to add to my tea vending,’ Mohanty declared.

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