Author:
Publication: Shekharkapur.com
Date: July 17, 2010
URL: http://shekharkapur.com/blog/2010/07/a-blackberry-addict-discovers-grassroots-enterprise-in-india/
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 (foolishness)
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 pyjama's
! 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 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. Thats $ 10 dollars as against
the Rs 30,000 ($ 600) I was a 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 disapointment of the expectant crowd.
'do you have an Iphone ? Even the new '4?
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 entreprenuership
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 a 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.