Bhaiya! Ek Watermelon !!

In the previous issues of Ping!, we have covered interviews of various faculty members and administrative staff. This time around, we feature an interview of our own Juicewaale Bhaiyya. Out of the three people working at the Juice centre, two were very reluctant to give the interview. So, we conversed with Dinesh bhaiya and tried to get an insight into the lives of all three of them.

Tell us something about yourselves.
I’m 26 years of age and hail from Rajdhanwar, Jharkhand. We are all relatives. Ajit is my cousin while Divakar is my brother’s brother-in-law.

Are you married?
Yes, I’m married and have two kids.

So when do you go home?
We go home every 6 months, though not in the vacations. We take turns for that.

You must be missing your family quite a bit. Who all are there in your family?
(Reminscingly) Yes, I do miss home but then I have to work. Mine’s a small family — my parents, wife, two kids and my sister.

Since when are you in Hyderabad? When did you come to IIIT-H?
I came to Hyderabad in 2002. I have been at IIIT-H since the past six years. There was another person with me (Pintu) who now handles the juice centre at NIFT.

Where did you work before coming to IIIT-H?
I used to work at Bombay juice centre, Chirag Galli. After that I worked at NIFT and now I’m here.

How much do you earn a month? How much credit do the students owe you?
The earning varies a lot day wise. It increases significantly during the days of the non-veg mess. On an average the monthly profits are around Rs. 18,000. Students owe us around Rs. 6,000.

That’s a huge amount! How do you trust the students so much?
(Smiling) They’re students after all. I trust them. I often write the money down in a diary though.

You have been here in Hyderabad since the past 10 years? How do you like the city?
I have hardly visited any places in the city. We have work all day and also don’t take any holidays. So we don’t get any time to roam around the city.

What’s your daily routine?
We wake up at around 9 and go to the market to get the fruits. After that the whole day from 12 noon to 12 midnight we are busy making juice. We close our shop at around 1am and then wind up by around 3 in the night. We keep doing this day in and day out. There is a lot of work.

Do you have any language problems with the Telugu speaking students?
Not much. I have picked up some of the dialect in my time here and so I do understand their references regarding the juices!

You have been here since a long time. Do you intend to do something different in the foreseeable future? Have you thought about bringing your family here?
I am quite satisfied with how things are going currently. I don’t intend to do anything else. Bringing my family here is not possible. My parents are quite aged and settled well there. We have our land and the rice and wheat fields. Coming here now is not possible for my family.

Do you interact with the faculty here? Are you happy with the provisions and the rates set?
I don’t interact much with the faculty. My main interaction is with BLN Sir. He sets up the further discussions with the faculty and Students’ Council. I’m happy with the provisions provided and the rates set are also satisfactory. I pay a monthly rent of Rs. 2,000, plus water and electricity charges. Overall I’m very happy here at IIIT-H.

You spend your whole day giving people their favorite juices. Which is your favourite juice?
I like the seasonal ones, especially mango.

Which juice do you find easiest to make?
Well, watermelon is the easiest!