Baloonwala

The scratching sound of an aired balloon outside an occasionally crowded place manifests the very presence of the “fuggawalo” or “gubbarewala”. A very mediocre figure in our society which has always drawn children’s attention but little as a professional ambition! We would have scarce thought of the artistic sense of this person or of his profession, one which is as much ignored by him.

We found Anilbhai in the early afternoon before Dada Saheb Jain shrine selling balloons. He comes from the Gulbai-Tekra settlement popularly known as ‘Hollywood’ in Ahmedabad. Readily answering to our questions, he tells us about his grandfather who migrated to Gujarat from the Marwad region of Rajasthan and how he started selling balloons at the age of 12 near Bhadra Fort and in the periphery of Manekchawk. Today, he lives with his family of 16 people under the same roof with two of his sons selling balloons and one working as a peon in a private company. The women of the house including his wife go to work in the neighbourhoods as maids. Unable to read or write, Anilbhai doesn’t have a bank account and keeps all his savings in plastic bottles in his semi-concrete dwelling without primary amenities of toilets and bathrooms.

Marriages and other gatherings bring tremendous joy to him as he enjoys the maximum sale and is less bothered of roaming around and crying to the top of his lung for getting his daily wage. Other favourite spots include temples, zoo and parks, recreational centers and malls where he reposes on his selling and earning his bread and butter.

His long working days which demand a lot of walk and standing have made him thought of a stand, both easy to carry and efficient in exhibiting his goods. This bamboo ‘khumcha’ is a light-weight and folding stand which performs as his mobile shop. It is made of three bamboos in a tripod-like mechanism connecting them by a metal wire at the top and with a string in the bottom: wire allowing the stability and the string bringing the flexibility. One of the three legs helps lifting and maneuvering the ‘khumcha’ while the plane formed by the other two is exploited to create a display, the display being made of half-split and polished bamboos tied in a row by wires or strings.

The toys and balloons are hung by strings displaying in a descending way from big to small toys. Speaking about the arrangement, Anilbhai says it helps him supervise and reach the toys easily. Of course, the toys are of all colors and shapes and are made with a view to attracting children. Most of them are made of plastic to be light in weight and affordable; children can’t break them and they are less dangerous.

Anilbhai has never been to any business schools (!!!) and follows the generations-old-skill of loud shouts and whistles to mark his presence and attract the passersby. His mobility yet regularity in standing at a certain place or roaming in a certain area do his branding or reserve him his customers to sell off his daily lot. He told us about the interesting way of area distribution amongst the balloon men which relies totally on mutual understanding and respect to each other.

Anilbhai has a profit of 40% on his sale and sells between Rs. 100.00 and Rs. 150.00 on an average day. He gets these toys from wholesalers in Pankornaka. He takes rest when he unwillingly stays home on rainy days!!!