Few Change To Some Change

Travelling between Mumbai and Pune has become kind of a routine, as I have been doing it since last 3 years. There is no new wonderful or exciting experience about the journey anymore. However, yesterday when going back to Pune from Mumbai, I had a refreshing occurrence.

As usual, dear darling Neeta Volvo took her regular halt at a food mall after the Khalapur toll junction. Neeta Volvo sucks, by the way, yet I travel with her to beat the afternoon heat and also that she drops me just at the doorstep of my Pune home.

At the food mall, I wait in the queue to buy a coupon for snacks and tea. I see four to five people in front of me walking away with the coupons, some currency notes, and few Éclairs. At my turn, I buy a vada paav and a coffee. In that Neeta food mall, a vada paav costs Rs. 15, by far the costliest vada paav I have ever had (I have had vada paavs since my childhood starting from 50 ps. to Re. 1 to Rs. 2 to Rs. 3 to Rs. 5 to now Rs. 15), and a coffee worth Rs. 22. I buy snacks worth Rs. 37. I give Rs. 50 note to the boy on the counter. He gives me Rs. 10 and 3 Éclairs. I did not understand what the 3 Éclairs were for. My previous experiences were about Chloromints, Mentos – the 50ps category mints, and I used to walk away with one or two. The boy at the cash counter used to bestow chocolates on his customers under the pretext of “chutta nahi hai”.

Like other normal days, I started to walk away with 3 Éclairs, which amounted to Rs. 3. Having taken two steps aside, I was reminded about my friend, Prasad’s blog, which I had just read in the bus on my mobile. One line in his post had appealed to me a lot – “We do not subscribe to many things from within but just let them go by”. Though Prasad’s post does not essentially talk about making a change, something about his writing had ignited and inspired me [you can Prasad’s blog here – “http://prasadtalks.blogspot.com/”].

I turned back to the cash counter and asked the boy, “hey kaay ahey” (what is this), opening out my palm to him showing those 3 Éclairs.

“Sutte nahi ahet” (don’t have change), he said arrogantly. I protested that I need three rupees and not these chocolates, I don’t eat chocolates.

“Nahi ahet sangla na” (I told you I don’t have change), the cashier boy blasted.

“Mala nako hi chocolates. Hey coupon parat ghya ani majhe Rs. 50 mala parat dya” (I don’t want these chocolates. Take these coupons back and give my Rs. 50 back to me), I said with very bleak expression.

The cashier boy was startled. He looked puzzled for sometime. I asserted again that I do not want these chocolates, I need my money back.

The boy opened his drawer; put his hand inside some bowl, made some “chan-chan” sound of the coins, and came out with one Re. 1 coin and one Rs. 2 coin. He gave me Rs. 3, my deserved money change. I enjoyed my vada paav & coffee, and relished the sight of others demanding change and refusing to take chocolates.

I was happy and smiling – a few change had brought about some change.