He is a small guy. Height would be where even Sachin Tendulkar would look down upon him and smile. Weight would be something that Nawazuddin Siddique could also laugh about. Anyway, he puts his head in through my office door and announces, Me Amol, 92*** *****. That is the first time I have heard that kind of introduction in Pune. It is evident that this man is not known by his face. His name and number is all that people have and people need.
He is the proverbial fixer.
I motion him in. He sits. At the edge of the chair. Nervously looking all around the office. Not that it has much in terms of anything. But he looks. I imagine it would be mostly about CCTVs or their non existence. He sighs. Long sigh. I know that he will try and speak now. I wait.
“Sir, there is an opportunity.”
World over, all propositions start this way. I am not surprised. He is enthused. That is all that matters for him to launch his proposition in front of me.
“Sir, there are a lot of lakes all around Pune. Some are cared for. Others are not. Some have been put into some developmental plans by the department, others haven’t been. You must know how to do something in lakes and beside lakes, wouldn’t you?”
I did know. I wanted to tell him that. But I merely nodded and kept my counsel. Who knew where all this was leading to. So, I motioned him to carry on with a twitch of my hand. Very Dombivli underworld leader-like.
“Sir, I can get those lakes under a company’s name that I know and who will agree. You can become the contractor and can look at doing the entire planning, projects and operations of all the lakes and parks. Very good business. No one in it.”
I am surprised that no one else has thought of it. I am also surprised that this Amol knows everything that I profess to do in life. How did he know? No use being Sherlock as these kind of guys hold these kinds of information as their currency. I scratch my head. I am trying to figure out what to say to the guy. He speaks in the meanwhile.
“Sir, no stress. Come with me. See the lakes. Decide what you want to do. If it all works we could do something. If not, koi baat nahin!!”
He is right. What is in a visit! One can take a vehicle and drive around with a puny chap. No one needs to know anything. It is nefarious. Just some lakes. Dried up or otherwise.
We set out. Lake 1. 40*C. I hate getting out of the car. But I do. Nearly dried up lake. The department has to do a lot before they can even think of making this a tourist spot. I can think of various lakefronts across the globe. But wishful thinking. A mosquito bites. Compels me to get back into the car quickly.
Lake 2. 41*C. I still hate getting out of the car. Actually dried up lake. I slip and nearly fall on the dried up mud beside the lake. My office shoes are not good for all this. The lake is a horror of real estate dumping. He scratches his chin knowing he has made a mistake bringing me here. I try to bite my tongue and stay calm.
Lake 3. 41.5*C. I am not getting out of the car. The lake has no water. Is parched. Has green mossy stones on one side staring balefully at the sky. Pune’s lakes are not happening. The heat tells me that it will be only a five to six month tourism place. Cost of real estate and cost of development tells me that neither Amol, nor his boss, nor me will earn anything here. Leave it. Forget it!
Lake district visit over, I am back in office. Amol has gone away. He has promised to come back with another offer. I ask him what!
Real estate visions in Mahabaleshwar. Here we go again!!
- Beta MBA nahin kiya? - November 23, 2016
- Indraneel Majumdar: The Day I went in search of Lakes - November 15, 2016
- Indraneel Majumdar: Roop Tera Mastana - November 8, 2016
