Business Blunder

by Lincoln Shahid

"Eureka! Eureka! Finally I have got the perfect business idea," Reza Bhai exclaimed with joy. I was not excited, as this was not new to me. Reza Bhai tried his hand in quite a few businesses last year without any success. But this time he seemed very enthusiastic. He was explaining, "This time I am in service business. I shall purchase some cows before the Holy Eid and sell those just prior to Eid day with some profit. Well, what do you think about my new business idea?"

I did not know what to say. I was shocked to find that he decided to work as a broker in cattle market. He got very upset. He said, "I am in service business not a broker. Let me explain. First of all tell me, what do you do in the Eid day?"

"Well, in Eid-ul-azha time just flies by. Most part of the Eid day was spent in 'Kurbani' and subsequent activities. It was difficult to find some expert persons who can help in preparing beef. As a result all of us had to work hard to finish the work in time. There was also time needed to deliver the beef to different houses. So this Eid day was not for enjoyment."

Smile was back in Reza Bhai's face. He started shouting with joy. He started explaining, "Now you will understand the importance of my service business. My organization will provide all the services from purchasing a cow, slaughtering it properly in the Eid morning to delivering the beef to desired addresses. Not only that I shall take preparations for managing the hide properly. People will love to take my service in managing all the hassles of Eid-ul-azha. My organization will render the service with a small service charge."

I thought it was a reasonable idea. All of our friends were happy to think that this business idea just might work. But the bad news came sharply. My family had decided to celebrate the Eid in our grandparents' house. So, I had to leave Dhaka. I felt sorry particularly for not be able to witness the success of Reza Bhai in his service business.

After returning back to Dhaka city I spared no time in meeting Reza Bhai. He was visibly happy to greet me. When I asked promptly about his business, his face turned pale. He was not ready to say anything about it. But I was so eager to know that at last he had decided to tell me the story.

Reza Bhai started ...

"First of all I had circulated some questionnaire to know about the demand of my customers in surrounding area regarding the price, weight, size, color of the cow to be sacrificed in the Eid. I had also circulated a leaflet contain all the detailed description about the importance and necessity of my services and how they can be helpful for them. Many people contacted me over telephone and gave me the idea that they were ready to accept my services. They gave my some idea about their budget for the animal to be sacrificed in the Eid day.

"Feeling very satisfied, I had become proactive. I had bought four cows for the purpose. I had contacted the butcher and invested some money in preparing slaughterhouse. I even went to 'Tanarimore' to contact some hide buyers.

"But as the Eid came closer the customers started retreating. I had left with only two customers before the Eid day. So I had no choice left but to sell two of my cows. I had to incur a loss of taka one thousand. But I was determined to start my business at any cost. So I hanged on.

"Just before the Eid evening one of my customers told me that his brother had bought a cow, so he was not interested anymore in receiving my services. I had to sell another cow in a hurry. In doing so I had to incur a loss of another five hundred taka.

"It was not the end of the story. When the butcher was informed that he had to work for one cow only, he demanded taka one thousand for his service. He also said that it would not be possible for him to come to my house before 10 a.m. Though it was decided before that I shall have to pay five hundred taka for every cow and there will be at least three cows. But my lone customer declined to give me more than taka five hundred as my service charge. My customer also reminded me that he needs beef early in the morning. In total I made a loss of taka two thousand in my maiden service business.

"In the Eid day, my customer came to my house with his family early in the morning. He demanded his beef immediately. But the butcher was not available. I was at a loss, did not know what to do. At last I had decided to complete the 'Kurbani'. There was nobody to help us tie up the cow. I had managed a small boy from a nearby grocery shop. I thought that I with the help of my customer and the little boy would be able to hold up the cow. But the customer's wife shrieked in disgust. She reminded me in a nosy voice, "We shall not touch the cow, we are paying for the service."  Looking at our pathetic situation, the man from the 'madrasa' with sword went away. I pleaded him to stay for some time before I could manage someone. He went away but left behind a student with a large knife. I could not believe that the small boy, who had a knife as large as him, could slaughter the cow.

At that time a kind man extended his help. Three of us managed to tie up the cow and dropped it on the street. Now an unexpected thing happened. The 'madrasa' student started trembling with fear. He was unable to slaughter the cow. We became tired of holding the cow. The small boy from the grocery shop failed to hold the feet of the cow. The cow gave him a mighty back kick. The boy flew away from the street and dropped in the adjacent lake water. The boy started shouting for help. I stood up and jumped into the lake water to save the boy. I saved the boy from the water but it had changed my whole complexion. My body was covered with mud, weeds and water. My new "Punjabi" was torn apart and hanging from my shoulder. When I could manage to stand on the street, there was hue and cry everywhere. The cow was running away along the street and hitting people on her way. I was so surprised that I had lost my senses for some time and did not know what to do.

My customer's wife again shrieked, "If we do not catch the cow, we shall handover you to the police."  Her words helped me regain my senses. I started running after the runaway cow. But alas! Which one was my cow? There were three cows running along the street! My cow had helped three cows to go free. Thank god, I could identify my cow with its color.

After some time finally when I came back to my house with the cow, there were a huge procession of children behind me. They were making fun of me. At the door I met the butcher. He greeted me with a loud laughter, and then said, "Did you have a wrestling with the cow? You should have waited for me. I have missed it!"

Copyright © Lincoln Shahid 2003