At 8 a.m., the red phone box of Ajay's hotel started ringing. With surprise, Ajay picked up the receiver.
Motilal was asking for Rajani. In her C.V. she mentioned this number for contact.
Motilal left a message, 'Where is the sample of Tomato Ketchup for export order of Abu Dhabi? Is it sent or not?'
Ajay's mind started moving around the idea.
This is a time to hit.
He immediately took the local train to Bandra to meet Rajani. His thoughts were also moving with the sound of the train. He reached Rajani's room as if flying in the sky.
Since it, as morning Rajani's mother kept tea on the stove. Ajay sat on a broken plastic mat.
He asked Rajani, "Is the tomato ketchup sample sent to Abu Dhabi or not?" Rajani wondered. She asked, "Why you are concerned about my office work?"
Ajay was excited and asked, "Tell me fast."
Rajani replied, "No! It does not send yet. Shobha Madam said that after collecting seven different samples it should be sent to Abu Dhabi."
Ajay got more excited," Good, very good! Do you have Abu Dhabi clients' names, numbers, and addresses? "Rajani said," Let me check."
Rajani searched in her purse. The office diary was with her.
Ajay grabs the diary, "This is not a diary Rajani, it is the master key of our destiny". Rajani was simply gazing at him.
"Look, I know how to make tomato ketchup, I'll take a bottle of glass from a scratcher, clean it with Dettol (an Indian popular antiseptic liquid) and put the ketchup in it to seal."
"However, that lid is of a special kind, isn't it?"
"I know, with a small machine we can do it. The machine costs only seven hundred rupees."
"That is okay However, you have no license, no registration no manufacturing unit. No export license." Ajay smiled, "I have an answer to every single question.
I will make a beautiful label from the D.T.P. shop. I will put any duplicate registration number for the time being. And will send the samples.
By the time that sample gets approved, and first-order it will take two to three months. Until then I will manage from registration to export license, everything!
Every government paper… with money on the top.. does not crawl, it runs. "
"However, tell me, why 'your' samples will get approved? Why do you feel you will get the order?"
"There are two reasons for this; the world's best delicious tomato ketchup recipe is only with me. No one knows the secret of colour and taste. Second, I will take a big risk. I will sell it at twenty per cent less price than the market. "
Rajani said, "Are you mad? Will you sell it at a loss? "
"That is exactly my trick, to win the race of competition.
From the quote they will receive, my quote will be in minus, and quality will be world-class! People spend on advertisements to create branding.
Let's assume I am doing that expense in the minus quote... understand! The export papers… Madam, you are the first executive of my company. Did you understand? "
"I understood the first order However, how will you compete with the second-order in the minus quote?"
"I know it. In import-export contracts, one clause is mentioned that if the country has a war, a natural disaster, or a sudden hike in raw materials increases due to local governing agency policies, then the price of the end product can be increased.
For the second order, I will take benefit of this clause and will expose the real and exact bills of my raw material.
Then I will ask the real price for my product. I will not go into the deficit again. I know people will go crazy for the taste of my ketchup. They cannot terminate the next contract, because finding a new vendor often adds expenses to the company. You know it is a long processor. And I will demand the real price in the market.
I suppose I failed to get a new contract. Still, I can develop a brand name in India as Abu Dhabi Exporter. No one will ask me how much I have earned. However, everyone can see I export!
Today I do not have anything. Reaching to the export will take years for me."
By that time Mother served some tea and 'Kanda poha'(popular Indian homemade snacks) in front of them. Ajay eats it fast and sets out for the next plan with the words 'I will be back in the evening, wait for me at dinner'.
From Bandra, he went straight to Andheri station. In the East, there were many Xerox cum DTP operators. After spending two hours he had a beautiful sticker which was supposed to be pasted on the bottle.
Then he set out to Nal Bazar (One of Mumbai's areas) to Purchase a lid machine. While on the way back, he purchased branded company empty glass bottles.
He purchased five kilograms of good quality tomato and good quality ingredients and reached the hotel.
He gave me a bottle to clean up and tomatoes to boil in the kitchen...
The whole product was ready at 5 p.m. Artistically he packed it and sent a courier to Abu Dhabi client.
Ajay then told Rajani to call Motilal and narrate what Shobha did with her. Rajani did accordingly.
Ajay wanted Motilal's attention to be stuck in domestic disputes.
So sampling and everything should come in his favour.
In the third month half the truth, half a lie with heavy paperwork, trial order of half a million was released in Ajay's name. However, the problem was that Ajay did not have an account in the bank.
To open an account he went to the bank. The bank manager studied all the export trial order papers. The manager was happy and put some papers in front of Ajay to sign.
Ajay was not a too educated person so it took a lot of time to sign papers.
The manager said, "Ajay you have no proper high school degree still you think faster than others. What would happen if you were a high school graduate?" Ajay laughed loudly, "Sir if I would know English and accounting I might have been collecting one rupee at Sulabh Shauchalay (the public lavatory) in front of your branch. "
The manager exclaimed, "Interesting! How?"
"Sir, a few years ago I came to Mumbai, I was looking for some work. I was staying on the footpath. Being disturbed, I asked a boy at the toilet for a money collection job when people use the lavatory. He took me to his boss. It was an NGO, running this public facility. It decided that I would get two hundred rupees and a special facility to use the toilet free of cost.
Then one form was kept in front of me and asked to read and sign it. I was unable to do so. So I am in front of you with half a million trial orders ".
The bank manager extended his hand for a shaking hand.
According to Ajay's planning, the incidents were taking shape one by one.
Near about after seven months, the desert man's brother was cured. So he asked Ajay to arrange his bread and butter somewhere else.
By then, the export-oriented food business has started in Rajani's small room.
Ajay has saved some money from the hotel business. Rajani also had some small savings. Kaushalyabai's vegetable business routine was also settled.
And a day came… Ajay got a full order. It was ten lakh rupees. (One million Rupees).
After three trial orders, the company took a systematic survey about the ketchup, in Abu Dhabi. The company found that people are crazy about their taste.
Ajay was sitting on the ground by placing the order of Ten lakh.
After a while, Kausalabai also joined him. She asked, "Why are you looking in anxiety?"
Ajay took out a paper and put it in front of her." This slum is going to be demolished. Now where we will produce material? This is the notice of the municipality ".
(...What happened next?...)