This is Platform, I live here, I eat, sleep drink sometime even smoke, and may be I will die on the same bench, where the man is sitting right now and whose boots I am polishing. I charge mere 5 five rupees that comes out to be about 0.02 dollar. Nothing has changed since I was borne, I didn't make any asset other than a brush, a can of polish and a gunny bag. I put my best efforts to at least have three customers, to meet my need of three VADA PAVS, five rupees each three times a day. Breakfast, lunch and diner. I live a lavish life style. Isn’t it???
Every morning I try to get up early in the morning, to find some one in dire need to get his boot polished, as the sun raises the chances get slim as the other competitors get up and steal away the chances. Though they are my friends and I share the same platform, for me "business is business". I work very hard till 1.00 am I mostly enter the empty bogies and check for lost valuables/mobiles, purse, even the water bottles. Statistically chance is 1/1000 though I try, may be the chance I take is one I need.
Money is some thing I like. It smells good, feel good, looks good, and taste good (once in blue moon I go for half chicken rice rupees 15 a plate). People say my eyes sparkle as diamonds when I see money. I fast once a week. I don’t do it because I believe in god, or any ritual. I fast when the booth polish runs out and I am suppose to buy a new can. It scared a hell out of me. It costs me Rs 20 for the cheapest one. (More than the cost of 3 Veda pavs.).
I do dream big, VERY BIG, to have a lavish lunch, A full chicken a rice plate. I never had in my life, It costs Rs. 60)(cost of 12 vada pavs, my three days meal). May be i will have some time.
Problem is, as I am growing in arithmetic progression my hunger is increasing in geometric progression. Every other variable of my life remain constant. The cost of Vada Pav, Amount I get for shoe polishing, The train, and its schedule.
As I feel after many years, and millions of Pavs I will match the size of the bench on which I sleep, Then I will start to shrink with old age, crippled, and some day I will die waiting of a vada, I don’t know how much it would cost then. Who will buy for me.? The bench would have been taken over by some one else. I want some one to inherit my assets The brush , polish and the Bag, some one my own.
It won’t happen because I didn’t.
