ME AND THE WHOLESALE DEALER OF SRIVILLIPUTTUR
Me and the Whole sale dealer of Srivilliputtur.
At the beginning of 1970 I was posted as an engineer at Srivilliputtur. My office was situated in the west side of Vatapatrasayee temple facing east. On the opposite was situated a old shop with a frontage of about 20’. I could not find much of customers there in the shop. I used to purchase groceries and necessities from some other shop in the Market for my household.
I believe this shop was known as “Gopala Naiker shop” though there were no sign boards.
Sometimes during 70’s MGR a prominent personality of the then ruling DMK was suspended from the party. MGR was not only a prominent figure in DMK but also a leading actor with lots o fan following.
The action of the party had lots of repercussion and as ususl in Taminadu thre were lots of demostrations and protests and what not resulting in law and order. At that period special police from Kerala was requisitioned for law and order duty at Srivillliputtur.
Unfortunately for me the Jeep which I had requisitioned reached one day earlier to Srivilliputtur and stationed in front of the office premisess. The driver had gone to Madurai stating that he will return the next day. Due to choatic conditions he could not return.. so when the demonstration was high when rowdy elements took over I came to the office by around 8-00 am . I stood in front of the office to protect the jeep as I thought that some element may damage the jeep. .
With some difficulty I was able to communicate with the Head constable of Kerala police who were patrollig the street that I am thre in fro nt of the office bulding to protect the jeep. So he allowed me to stand in front of the office. By that time one gentleman whom I had seen in the shop and who used to sit prominently in the shop came to the shop. with the key to the shop. The kerala police thought that he has come to loot the shop tried to catch him. This person came rushing to wards our office and ran inside. The kerals plice wanted to catch him and thrash him. I told the police that he is not a rowdy element and in fact he is owner of the shop . If I was not there this gentlwman owould have been beaten to pulp. He was in the offcie until late in the evening as the rodyism continued in the other parts of Srivilliputtur. I casually asked him as to whatr are the groceries available in his shop and what type of business they are doing. He told me that they are dealing with all types of groceries especially oilman stores.
The next day calm was restored..
I tried to get some groceries from the opposite stores and asked my personal peon to get the listed articles form that stores. He went with money, a bag and also the list of groceries.
I was amazed to find that the rates were really very cheap and also the products were very good. So I decided to purchase groceries from then onwards from that store itself.
There was no phone connection to the office. My next senior was at Madurai. I had to contact him urgently.. the usual course was to go to the Post Office book the number and wait and wait until the line is got. Thre were no subscriber dial facility. The wait could be any whre from one hour or even more. I had seen the opposite shop having telephone
. So I went there and asked him whether I can ring up to madurai and book the number and as soon as the line is realised and I may be informed about it. The gentlman immediately told me that there is no need for me to wait and as soon as he rang up the Post office got me the line. I talked to my superior and then asked the gentleman was to how much I have to pay for the call. The call was for nealry 5 minutes. He refused to take any money for it and said I need not pay for it.
My purchasing of the groceries went on and on from the opposite shop. One day while talking to the group who were interested in getting th “Alagar Anai” scheme which would have supplied irrigation water from the source of Vaigai towards Srivilliputtur During a casual talk I mentioned that I get all the groceries form the opposite shop.
They were surprised and and asked me whether I make puchases in bulk. I told them that I purchase only small quatities. They refused to believe it.!!
Here is the whole story:
Sri Gopalaswamy naicker was a business of modest means . Due to some illuck he lost heavily. In a fit of sorrow he left the house without informing any one.. His wife went to her parents house . They did not have any issues . After 2 years naicker returned. He was clad in one dhoti and had another dhothi covering his upper portion of the body..
He told his father in law that he went to all holy places all over India and at Haridwar he met a holyman. When naicker wanted to become a Sanyasi the holy man advised him against it and asked him to go back and resume his business and he will come up well in life. So he returned to Srivilliputtur. With a little help from his known circle of friends and relatives he borrowed some money and started in a smll scale the grocery business. This gave him good returnes and he repaid all the loans. Then he tried his hand in whole sale business. This grew beyond leaps and bounds. He had however stopped wearing shirts or any other jewels but was always clad in two piece dhothi.
He did not shift the shop to any other bigger place but continued to run the business in the old premises itself. Naicker thought that place got him good luck. In the shop was several bags of samples of all the grains and several tins of oil that were available in their shop. He had taken the Mantapam belonging to the Andal temple on a resonable lease the only condtion being that it should be vacated during some festival times. Here he was using th mantapam as a Godown where literally 100’s of bags of grains of different varieties were stored as well as edible oil drums of various seeds, were stored.. He also had godown at several places. His brother in law knew hindi, malayalam , a little bit of english and of course tamil. He had also very good memory.
As soon as this brother in law came to the shop by 9-00 am he will be ready to receive the calls from various whole sale traders from different towns and cities. They will place orders with him for their requirements. After noting down these orders he will usually talk ot some traders in Gujarat, Bombay, Kochi, Madras, Nellore etc. and place for grains and oils etc. His calls were connected in a “Lightening call category due to some understanding with the post office!!! He will also give directions as to whom it is to be sent. On their behalf also they will place orders those received by Naicker will be sold by him when the market price is up.. For all these transactions through Naicker , he will get a commission. As Naicker had maintained good realtionship with reference to payment on due dates. even when the trader to whom the grain has been sent due to Naickers instructions fails to make payment., Naicker will make the payment on behalf of the trader. with in the due date.. The credit period was usually 30 days. As I knew Gujarath and Bombay were supplying pulses especially toor dhal, Jeera, Blackgram and oil and oil cakes etc, Nelllore supplied rice, Koch supplied i the spices and cardomom. God only knows as to how Naicker used to keep the accounts. Almost all the whole sale dealers to whom Naicker used to act as a commission agent never failed to make payment. May be some times a bit late. As the goods supplied were of good quality and was supplied in time and was really competative in rates Naicker made a name for himself.
After knowing all these details about Naicker I went to the shop where the brother in law was present and . I asked him as to what made him supply me small quantities though he was a whole saler> His reply was that for their own use in their household they get the groecerises from their shop and they will not go to reatailers. He feels that I am also a very good friend of his . Additionally I had saved him from the beatings of Kerala police. Othewise he would have been a handicapped person. So this gesture on his behalf.
After knowing all these details I stopped going to his shop and went to some other shop though I reamained their friend.
.
At the beginning of 1970 I was posted as an engineer at Srivilliputtur. My office was situated in the west side of Vatapatrasayee temple facing east. On the opposite was situated a old shop with a frontage of about 20’. I could not find much of customers there in the shop. I used to purchase groceries and necessities from some other shop in the Market for my household.
I believe this shop was known as “Gopala Naiker shop” though there were no sign boards.
Sometimes during 70’s MGR a prominent personality of the then ruling DMK was suspended from the party. MGR was not only a prominent figure in DMK but also a leading actor with lots o fan following.
The action of the party had lots of repercussion and as ususl in Taminadu thre were lots of demostrations and protests and what not resulting in law and order. At that period special police from Kerala was requisitioned for law and order duty at Srivillliputtur.
Unfortunately for me the Jeep which I had requisitioned reached one day earlier to Srivilliputtur and stationed in front of the office premisess. The driver had gone to Madurai stating that he will return the next day. Due to choatic conditions he could not return.. so when the demonstration was high when rowdy elements took over I came to the office by around 8-00 am . I stood in front of the office to protect the jeep as I thought that some element may damage the jeep. .
With some difficulty I was able to communicate with the Head constable of Kerala police who were patrollig the street that I am thre in fro nt of the office bulding to protect the jeep. So he allowed me to stand in front of the office. By that time one gentleman whom I had seen in the shop and who used to sit prominently in the shop came to the shop. with the key to the shop. The kerala police thought that he has come to loot the shop tried to catch him. This person came rushing to wards our office and ran inside. The kerals plice wanted to catch him and thrash him. I told the police that he is not a rowdy element and in fact he is owner of the shop . If I was not there this gentlwman owould have been beaten to pulp. He was in the offcie until late in the evening as the rodyism continued in the other parts of Srivilliputtur. I casually asked him as to whatr are the groceries available in his shop and what type of business they are doing. He told me that they are dealing with all types of groceries especially oilman stores.
The next day calm was restored..
I tried to get some groceries from the opposite stores and asked my personal peon to get the listed articles form that stores. He went with money, a bag and also the list of groceries.
I was amazed to find that the rates were really very cheap and also the products were very good. So I decided to purchase groceries from then onwards from that store itself.
There was no phone connection to the office. My next senior was at Madurai. I had to contact him urgently.. the usual course was to go to the Post Office book the number and wait and wait until the line is got. Thre were no subscriber dial facility. The wait could be any whre from one hour or even more. I had seen the opposite shop having telephone
. So I went there and asked him whether I can ring up to madurai and book the number and as soon as the line is realised and I may be informed about it. The gentlman immediately told me that there is no need for me to wait and as soon as he rang up the Post office got me the line. I talked to my superior and then asked the gentleman was to how much I have to pay for the call. The call was for nealry 5 minutes. He refused to take any money for it and said I need not pay for it.
My purchasing of the groceries went on and on from the opposite shop. One day while talking to the group who were interested in getting th “Alagar Anai” scheme which would have supplied irrigation water from the source of Vaigai towards Srivilliputtur During a casual talk I mentioned that I get all the groceries form the opposite shop.
They were surprised and and asked me whether I make puchases in bulk. I told them that I purchase only small quatities. They refused to believe it.!!
Here is the whole story:
Sri Gopalaswamy naicker was a business of modest means . Due to some illuck he lost heavily. In a fit of sorrow he left the house without informing any one.. His wife went to her parents house . They did not have any issues . After 2 years naicker returned. He was clad in one dhoti and had another dhothi covering his upper portion of the body..
He told his father in law that he went to all holy places all over India and at Haridwar he met a holyman. When naicker wanted to become a Sanyasi the holy man advised him against it and asked him to go back and resume his business and he will come up well in life. So he returned to Srivilliputtur. With a little help from his known circle of friends and relatives he borrowed some money and started in a smll scale the grocery business. This gave him good returnes and he repaid all the loans. Then he tried his hand in whole sale business. This grew beyond leaps and bounds. He had however stopped wearing shirts or any other jewels but was always clad in two piece dhothi.
He did not shift the shop to any other bigger place but continued to run the business in the old premises itself. Naicker thought that place got him good luck. In the shop was several bags of samples of all the grains and several tins of oil that were available in their shop. He had taken the Mantapam belonging to the Andal temple on a resonable lease the only condtion being that it should be vacated during some festival times. Here he was using th mantapam as a Godown where literally 100’s of bags of grains of different varieties were stored as well as edible oil drums of various seeds, were stored.. He also had godown at several places. His brother in law knew hindi, malayalam , a little bit of english and of course tamil. He had also very good memory.
As soon as this brother in law came to the shop by 9-00 am he will be ready to receive the calls from various whole sale traders from different towns and cities. They will place orders with him for their requirements. After noting down these orders he will usually talk ot some traders in Gujarat, Bombay, Kochi, Madras, Nellore etc. and place for grains and oils etc. His calls were connected in a “Lightening call category due to some understanding with the post office!!! He will also give directions as to whom it is to be sent. On their behalf also they will place orders those received by Naicker will be sold by him when the market price is up.. For all these transactions through Naicker , he will get a commission. As Naicker had maintained good realtionship with reference to payment on due dates. even when the trader to whom the grain has been sent due to Naickers instructions fails to make payment., Naicker will make the payment on behalf of the trader. with in the due date.. The credit period was usually 30 days. As I knew Gujarath and Bombay were supplying pulses especially toor dhal, Jeera, Blackgram and oil and oil cakes etc, Nelllore supplied rice, Koch supplied i the spices and cardomom. God only knows as to how Naicker used to keep the accounts. Almost all the whole sale dealers to whom Naicker used to act as a commission agent never failed to make payment. May be some times a bit late. As the goods supplied were of good quality and was supplied in time and was really competative in rates Naicker made a name for himself.
After knowing all these details about Naicker I went to the shop where the brother in law was present and . I asked him as to what made him supply me small quantities though he was a whole saler> His reply was that for their own use in their household they get the groecerises from their shop and they will not go to reatailers. He feels that I am also a very good friend of his . Additionally I had saved him from the beatings of Kerala police. Othewise he would have been a handicapped person. So this gesture on his behalf.
After knowing all these details I stopped going to his shop and went to some other shop though I reamained their friend.
.
posted by N.S.Char at 8:59 PM
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