The Economics of Travel

Travelling involves a lot of preparation. More so, in Bengal.

As I was travelling from Burdwan to Kolkata by train, I was given some funda on travelling

• Board the last bogie (Reason? The last bogie turns out to be the first bogie when it arrives in Howrah)
• There won't be much space to stand. But do not sit.
  
  

The second needs some explanation. In fact, it didn't make much sense to me till I boarded the train. The train seemed to be empty. But all the seats appeared to be reserved. Rather "Handkerchiefed" (something that some of my friends really hate about Bengalis) or "Trump Carded" whatever you may like to call it. 

F: Do not sit. Possibly, you may be called to sit.

As I linger about the empty seats, one of those sitting beckons me to sit. He removes a card and gives me a seat. I sit down skeptically.

In a while, the train fills up and the passengers seem to be seated comfortably.

Enter the Dalal.

Medium height, photocromatic eyeglasses and a thick shock of hair oiled in coconut oil. He comes and collects the cards. Counts them. 25 cards. One missing. Sits down besides me.

D: Dutta da, Maal ta din (Give me the goods!)
Dutta da: Diye debo. Apni tho amar bondhu (Will give you. You are my friend)
D: Jhule jhule jaaben, sheta ki bhalo lagbe? (Would you like to go standing in the crowded train?)

As I was about to doze off in the hubbub, what appears to be a 10 rupee note grazes past my shoulder. As I open my eyes, I can see the Dalal writing down carefully on a piece of paper Rs 10 against Dutta da.

Some Quick Calculations

I make some quick calculations. 26 people. Rs 10. That makes it Rs 260. Now if the Dalal loses a card daily. Then he has to buy a new deck every fortnight.  Rs 260 minus Rs 20 / 2 = Rs 250. How much does the Dalal get? Rs 1000 every month (one way!). Not bad if it is weekly.

Now could this weekly or monthly? Would I be willing to pay Rs 10 for a seat if my ticket was for Rs 30 x 7 = Rs 210. How much was that? Roughly 5%. What if it was monthly? It would too low to be even significant. If it was weekly, the Dalal would be earning a handsome amount all for nothing! (If the Dalal earned Rs 15000/month at his office in Kolkata, this would contribute to roughly 10% of his income!). But what if it was monthly?

I was all confused and was about to doze off when it dawned on me that it wasn't 26 people. It was more than that. One couldn't have the same 26 people travel on all 30 days. He was reserving seats for more than 26 people. Maybe 50. Maybe 100. Couldn't tell where his boundaries ended and the next Dalal's boundaries started.

Some Open Questions

Suddenly, what appeared to be a mere gimmick for seats in a train looked like brisk business. And everybody paying/getting paid was equally culpable! Consider the number of Dalals one could have - If one had 2 Dalals per bogie and 15 bogies per train, the amount that went ??? was Rs 2000 x 30. And considering the number of local trains that crisscross the Indian railways daily, here are some questions I leave the reader to ponder upon

• Where do all these big numbers go when multiplied and added?
• Where do they come from? (My answer: The taxpayers)
• If you were a daily passenger, would you pay Rs 10 for a seat?
  

P.S: Do keep one thing in mind while answering the last question. You are an avid Card player. You love bridge/poker whatever and it is very difficult to play cards if you are standing. Now, would you pay Rs 10 for a seat?