I am a master in India

Chapter 382 The Man Who Eats the Vada Bread

The Holi festival in Mumbai had just ended, and the children were still laughing and playing downstairs.

The parking lot had become a carnival for men, women, and children of all ages. Every face was covered in paint, making it impossible to tell who was a servant and who was the master.

People either drink themselves into a stupor or smoke themselves into a euphoric state. On this day, there are no taboos; you can even touch any woman.

Occasionally, people stroll along Carter Avenue by the sea, discussing a movie for which they had booked tickets three weeks ago.

If you have time, you can also go further afield to Nariman, where you can take the children on the carousel, admire the coconut shells floating on the blue-green sea, and watch the high-rise buildings rising up along Vokshwe Road.

If you plan to start from Flora's Fountain in Martyrs' Square and head towards the Fortress District, you could easily spend a whole day there without getting bored.

The streets there are what streets should truly be like: wide and flat, shaded by green trees, with magnificent palaces standing on both sides.

Sunday afternoon is the watershed moment that distinguishes us from animals.

For the rest of the week, people get home too late to meet their basic needs: eat when they're hungry and sleep when they're tired.

On Sundays, people become thoughtful and sensible again.

For the average person, nothing is more pleasant than watching TV at home or going to see a movie.

Of course, most people would choose the latter, because the children would be clamoring to play in the street.

Ashish thought the best place to sell VCDs was the rows of shops lining both sides of the road.

“Many people are hesitant to spend 6,000 rupees on an appliance they’ve never seen before, so we have to show them how it works.”

“You mean put it in the store?” his cousin Damendra said.

"Yes, where are the most people at this time?"

"Of course it's Boca! Now is the perfect time to eat Vada bread rolls."

“Then let’s go there.” Ashish turned around and led the way without hesitation.

They walked through the streets, searching for Boca's shop along the way.

Time was limited, Damendra told Ashish that Boca only set up his stall for three hours a day, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., or until the day's vada buns were sold out.

They walked along a path dug in the middle of the road, revealing a deep pit, past a vegetable market, the Little Portugal district, wedding supply stores, and a Jain clinic, and finally found Boca's stall.

Two lines had already formed in front of the stall, one for men and one for women, each person clutching rupees. Boka sat on a small stool, scooping batter to fry hash browns.

A worn-out blackboard next to it reads: Boka Secret Recipe, Vada Bun 4 Rupees, Fried Potato Cake 3 Rupees, Vada Bun 1 Rupees.

Because of the hot weather, Boca moved its stall outside. A few tables were left inside for customers to dine in.

The old electric fan wobbled and offered little relief from the heat. However, because a television was mounted on the wall, the shop was packed with people, even though they were drenched in sweat.

Damendra walked over and greeted Boca, who was busy at work. Boca waved his head, indicating that they should make themselves at home.

So Ashish went into the shop and got to work. Very good, this television is a Sull brand, a perfect match for their VCD player.

Damendra decided to queue outside as well, intending to buy a few wada bread rolls to tide him over.

He waited for the fried hash browns to come out of the pan, and everyone around him waited the same way. Everyone was tense, clutching their money, ready to pounce at any moment.

The crowd stirred as soon as Boca lifted the strainer from the large vat filled with boiling oil, which was then filled with golden-brown, breaded potato cakes that resembled beignets.

They held out their money, handing out ten-rupee notes for change, while the waiter had a tray full of two-rupee coins in front of him.

No one is satisfied with just one wada bun, so after one round, not everyone can buy one. Those who are too embarrassed to fight for it have to wait for the next batch of hash browns to be cooked.

The prepared wada bread dough was pre-spread with chutney: the top half was green hummus, and the bottom half was red garlic jam.

The waiter always greets the female customers first. He stretches out one hand, scoops up two freshly made potato cakes, and smoothly places one on each side of the open wada bread, then closes the bread and hands it to the hungry customer.

Damendra took his wada bread and walked a little further away from the stall. He squeezed the middle of the wada bread slightly, and a few cracks appeared on the outer wada bread dough, with mashed potatoes and red and green sauce overflowing out.

He took a bite, and the soft, sweet outer bread perfectly balanced the sour and spicy sauce.

The brown potato cakes inside are fried until crispy, with the unique aroma of graham masala, and you can taste whole garlic cloves like cashews. After chewing, they burst with a wonderful fragrance, making every bite a delicious and enjoyable experience.

One wada is enough to fill your stomach, but Boca's wada is a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate, truly living up to its reputation.

He was as satisfied as someone who had been starving for a long time finally getting a feast.

After finishing the hot wada-ba, he naturally felt thirsty, so he went into a nearby cold drink shop.

The store uses Formica building materials to partition off individual booths, creating a pleasant and relaxing atmosphere.

On the wall are "drink recommendations" written in Marathi, each claiming to have health benefits.

For example, gooseberry juice can treat frequent urination, night blindness, and irritability, while ginger juice can relieve bloating, bronchitis, and menstrual cramps.

Most of the frozen treats are delicious, and quite different from the world-famous and dominant Coca-Cola.

In fact, the local cola here, such as masala cola, is just as good as the classic cola, with a very different taste but no less delicious.

Although it looks like a bubbly, brown beverage, it contains masala spices such as lemon, rock salt, pepper, and cumin.

To make a masala cola, first pour some regular cola into a glass, then scoop in a few spoonfuls of masala, and the cola will bubble wildly from the bottom of the glass.

The waiter stood to the side, waited for the foam to subside, then added more cola to the glass, waited a while longer, until all the remaining cola was poured out, and that's how the authentic Indian cola was born!

Faced with the invasion of Western culture, India's attitude is to accept it and transform it.

They welcomed Coca-Cola into the pantheon of local beverages, but added more flavorings to make this foreign drink more vibrant: the cocaine it contained should have returned to Indian Coca-Cola after being banned in the West.

Just then, a series of exclamations came from the shop next door in Boca. Damendra walked over quickly, and the people in the ice cream shop also got up to see what was going on.

Sure enough, the brand-new VCD player was already installed. Ashish was holding up a disc and loudly introducing how amazing the machine was to the customers in the store.

People were more attracted by the DVD cover, which featured a Bollywood blockbuster that had just been released a month earlier.

The film has just finished its theatrical run and the television station hasn't had a chance to broadcast it yet.

Outside on the street, there were still movie posters; everyone recognized them at a glance.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Ashish proudly stuffed the gleaming silver disc into the VCD player's eject compartment.

This small gesture alone drew gasps of surprise, because it looked incredibly sophisticated.

It pops up automatically and then retracts automatically; all you have to do is press a button.

Soon, a clear movie picture appeared on the TV screen, just like the one shown in the theater.

Many people who have seen this movie were utterly astonished, their mouths agape.

There's no need to wait for the TV station to negotiate the copyright and then schedule a broadcast on a carefully chosen day.

That's too fast; some small cinemas haven't even finished showing it yet.

It's also very clear, without any snow or stuttering.

You should know that when they first started watching TV, they would occasionally see static on the screen due to signal problems.

This VCD player has absolutely no issues; it runs incredibly smoothly.

Suddenly the screen froze, and the excited crowd erupted in cheers.

It turned out that Ashish had pressed the pause button. He stood on the stool, waving his hands and loudly introducing the brand-new VCD player.

The price of six thousand rupees didn't entice many people, but when the topic turned to CDs, people's attention was drawn.

"For just 20 rupees, you can watch the latest Bollywood blockbuster. If it's an older movie from a few months ago, it'll only cost 10 rupees, or even 6 rupees."

"You can watch movies from many years ago?"

"Of course, it's not just Bollywood; it includes foreign films as well."

Ashish tore open the canvas bag in his hand, revealing stacks of CDs inside.

Judging from the covers, all types of content, both domestic and international, from ancient times to the present, are included.

The crowd began to stir and discuss, showing great interest in the CD.

In a big city like Mumbai, a movie ticket costs 60 rupees, and the price keeps rising as the exchange rate fluctuates.

But DVDs are much cheaper; the latest movies cost less than half the price. Older movies are even cheaper, only one-tenth the price.

Do Indians mind watching old movies? Of course not.

Not to mention the tens of thousands of movies released every year, people have only seen a small number of them.

Even if they've seen something before, they can still enjoy watching it again anytime, anywhere.

Indians love movies so much, it's practically ingrained in their bones.

If they had such a machine at home, they could watch all Bollywood movies at a very low cost.

Ashish resumed the playback, regardless of how many people were interested; his only goal today was to spread the concept of VCDs.

Moreover, according to his idea, the first customers would not be the people who ate the wada bread in the store, but the store owner.

He went over to Boca and told him that if he had a VCD player in the store, his business would be several times better.

Boca was somewhat conflicted, believing he already had enough guests.

Suddenly, the owner of the nearby ice cream shop interrupted and ordered a VCD player without saying a word.

Look at the crowd in the Boca Juniors store now. It's packed with people inside and out, completely sealed off.

People on the street are still drawn to this place from time to time; they all love to watch the excitement.

Watching a movie with so many people together creates a great atmosphere.

The owner of the cold drink shop was very shrewd. With so many people patronizing his shop, how could he not have a thriving business?

Ashish was overjoyed with his first victory.

He immediately said that once the movie finished playing, he would move the VCD to the next room.

When Boca heard that Suer Electric Appliances would deliver a brand new machine to him tomorrow, he refused to accept it.

He had been hesitant just moments before, but immediately said that his shop also needed one of these machines.

Just kidding, all the customers are being drawn away, his business will definitely be affected.

Ashish said there was no problem, VCDs had already started mass production, and there was plenty to go around.

"See? That's how we promote it. We need to convince every shop on the street to buy a VCD player. People passing by will be drawn in out of curiosity. Before long, the reputation of VCD players will spread."

This is Ashish's sales strategy of expanding from specific points to a broader scope, ideally spreading throughout the city.

"What about the other discs?" Damendra thought of the discs that had fallen on the ground earlier.

“This is our next target, let’s go!” Ashish turned and led the way.

Mumbai is a vibrant city where fun is an essential part of life.

(End of this chapter)