Three Mistakes Of My Life Part 3

'A sports store really. But since cricket is the most popular game in Belrampur, we will focus on that.'

Ish's silence meant he was listening to me.

'It will be a small retail store. Money for a shop deposit is a problem, so I need Omi's help.'

'Mine?' Omi said.

'Yes, we will open the shop right inside the Swami temple complex. Next to the flower and puja shops. 1 noticed an empty shop there. And it is part of the temple land.'

'A cricket shop in a temple complex?' Ish questioned.

'Wait. Omi, do you think you can arrange that? Without that our plan isa non- starter.'

'You mean the Kuber sweet shop that just closed? The temple trust will rent it out soon. And normally they let it out to something related to temple activities,'

Omi said.

'I know. But you have to convince your dad. After all he runs the temple trust.'

'He does, but Mama looks after the shops. Will we pay rent?' 'Yes,' I sighed. 'But not immediately. We need a two-month waiver. And we cannot pay the deposit.'

'I'll have to go through mom,' Omi said. Good, his mind was working.

'Sorry to ask again, but a cricket shop in a temple complex? Who will buy?

Seventy-year-old aunties who come for kirtan will want willow bats?' Ish scoffed.

The waiter had cleared our tea and presented the bill. By Gopi protocol, we had to be out of the restaurant in two minutes.

'Good question. A cricket shop by a temple does sound strange. But think - is there any sports shop in Belrampur?'

'Not really. You don't even get leather b.a.l.l.s. Ellis Bridge is the nearest,' Ish said.

'See, that's number one. Number two, the temple is a family place. Kids are among the most bored people in temples. Where are they going to hang out?'

'It is true,' Omi said. 'That is why so many balloon wallahs hover outside.'

'And that is where Ish comes in. People know you were a good player. And you can give playing tips to every kid who comes to buy from us. Slowly, our reputation will build.'

'But what about Christian or Muslim kids? They won't come, right?' Ish said.

'Not at first but the shop is outside the temple. As word spreads, they will come. What choice do they have anyway?'

'Where will we get what we sell?' Ish said.

'There's a sports equipment supplier in Vastrapur who will give us a month's credit. If we have the s.p.a.ce, we are good to go without cash.'

'But what if it doesn't run?' Ish asked with scepticism.

'Worst case, we sell the stock at a loss and I'll cover the rest through my tuition savings. But it will work, man. If you put your heart into it, it will.'

Both of them remained silent.

'Guys, please. I need you for this. I really want to run a business. I can't do it without partners. It's cricket,' I appealed to Ish.

'I'm in,' Omi smiled. 'I don't have to be a priest and I get to work from home.

I'm so in.'

'I won't handle money. I'll focus on the cricket,' Ish said.

I smiled. Yes, he was coming around.

'Of course. You think I will let you handle cash? So, are we partners?' I stretched out my liand.

Omi hi-fived me and Ish joined in.

'What are we going to call it?' Omi said in the auto.

'Ask Ish,' I said. If Ish named it, he would feel more connected to the project.

'How about Team India Cricket Shop?' Ish suggested. 'Great name,' I said and watched Ish smile for the first time that evening.

'Two rupees fifty paise each, guys,' I said as the auto stopped near my pol in Belrampur.

'Here you go Mr Accounts,' Ish said and pa.s.sed his share.

CHAPTER Two

The Team India Cricket Shop opened with the smashing of a coconut on the morning of 29 April 2000. All our immediate families had come. My mother and Omi's family were visibly happy while Ish's parents were silent. They still visualised Ish as an army officer, not a shopkeeper in Belrampur.

'May Laxmi shower all blessings on you hardworking boys,' Omi's mother said before she left.

Soon, it was just us in our twenty-feet-by-ten-feet shop. 'Move the counter in, the shutter won't close,' Ish screamed at Omi. Omi's forehead broke into sweat as he lifted the bulky counter-top yet again to move it back an inch.

I stepped out of the shop and crossed the road for the tenth time to look at the board. It was six feet wide and two feet tall. We had painted it blue - the colour of the Indian team. In the centre, we had the letters 'Team India Cricket Shop' in the colours of the Indian flag. The excited painter from Shahpur had thrown in the faces of Tendulkar and Ganguly for free. Ganguly had a squint and Tendulkar's lips looked bee-stung, but it all added to the charm.

'It's beautiful,' Omi said as he joined me in looking at the board.

Our first customer came at 12 noon. An under-ten boy strolled to the front of our store as his mother bought puja flowers. The three of us sprung into action.

'Should I ask him what he wants?' Omi whispered to me.

I shook my head. Pushy meant desperate.

The boy looked at tennis b.a.l.l.s and bounced a few of them. While no one played tennis in Belrampur, kids played cricket with them.

'How much for the b.a.l.l.s?' The boy moved to local b.a.l.l.s. Clearly this was a price- sensitive customer. He bounced five different ones on the ground.

'Eight bucks. You want one?' I said.

He nodded.

'You have money?'

'Mummy has,' he said.

'Where is mummy?'

'There,' he pointed in the general direction of the other temple shops. I picked up the b.a.l.l.s he had bounced and placed them in the basket.

His mother came running into our shop.

'There you are Sonu, stupid boy,' she pulled his elbow and took him out.

'Mummy, ball' was all he could say about his potential purchase.

'Don't worry, we will sell,' I told my business partners.

We made our first sale soon after. Two young brothers wearing branded clothes came to the shop.

'How much for tennis b.a.l.l.s?' one boy said.

'Eight bucks for Arrow, six bucks for the local basket there,' Ish said.

The boys moved to the local basket. They, started the ball-bouncing routine again as my heart wept.

'So where do you play cricket?' Ish asked them. 'Satellite,' the elder boy said.

Satellite was an upmarket neighbourhood on the other side of the Sabarmati river.

'What are you doing in the old city?' Ish said. 'We came to the temple. It is Harsh bhaiya's birthday,' the younger boy said.

I realised we had struck real-estate gold. The temple was ancient and drew in people from the new city, too. And it was a birthday, every chance of pockets being loaded.

'You want to see bats?' I asked from the cash counter.

The boys shook their heads.

Ish turned to me and signalled silence.

'Happy birthday, Harsh. You bowler or batsman?' Ish said.

Harsh looked up at Ishaan. A grown-up man asking an eleven-year-old if he was a bowler or batsman was a huge honour. It meant he was now old enough to be specialised, even though he may not have thought about it.

'Er, I am more of a batsman,' Harsh said.

'Defensive or attack?' Ish asked as if he was interviewing Tendulkar on ESPN.

'Huh?' Harsh said.

'You like shots?' Ish asked. Which kid didn't? Harsh nodded.

'Show me your stance,' Ish said. He turned to nie and asked for a bat, I went to the stack of willow bats. I had bought them directly from a Kashmiri supplier in Law Garden. I picked the right size for the boy. Size six and two hundred bucks.

Not top of the line, of course, but the best we could hope to sell here.

Harsh took a stance on the empty s.p.a.ce in front of the shop. Like every kid, he leaned his entire weight on the bat while standing. Ish moved over and gently straightened Harsh's back. He moved his wrist upwards, and told him to balance the weight evenly on the legs.

'And now, whenever you attack, use the front leg to move forward but do not forget the back leg. That is your support, your anchor. Notice Tendulkar, he keeps one leg fixed.'

An awestruck Harsh air-struck a few strokes.

'Give me some tips, too,' the younger one whined.

'First me, Chinu,' Harsh said.

Ish turned to Chinu. 'What are you, Chinu?'

'All-rounder,' Chinu said promptly.

'Great. Show me your bowling grip.'

Their parents finally found our shop. It was time to go to the temple.

'Mummy, I want the ball,' Chinu said. 'How much?' his mother said. 'Six rupees,' Ish said.

She took out a twenty-rupee note and asked me to give two. 'I want the bat, mummy,' Harsh said. 'You already have a bat.'

'This one is better for my stance, mummy. Please.' Harsh took a stance again.

He had improved with the lesson but his mother ignored him.

'How much is this?' she said.

'Two hundred rupees,' I said.