Every morning at 6, he made two pots of bael squash and sold them by noon, leaving the day free for him to do other daily wage work. He measured 50 glasses of juice from every pot, and sold each for Rs 10. Given that he spent about Rs 60 per pot, the returns were quite satisfactory, he said. "I stand at a fixed spot near a crowded bus stop and wait for people on their way to work," he said. "Many of them don't have time to eat anything in the morning, and when I tell them about the benefits of bael, which Ramdev too has endorsed, they are usually quite impressed."
What were, I asked, the health benefits of bael squash? "Bael is a wonder fruit that nature has given us to beat the summer heat," he intoned with practised ease. "It cures all sorts of digestive problems, especially those brought on by the heat. It's also good for people with ulcers, it manages blood sugar and lowers high blood pressure." Many of his customers bought juice from him every day, having seen for themselves how beneficial it was. "And it is for such returning customers that I maintain the strictest quality standards," he said a trifle boastfully, considering that he filled his pots with unfiltered water from a tap outside the local gurdwara. Then, as I watched, slightly nauseated by the strong smell of the fruit, he extracted the pulp with his fingers and swirled it in the pot with sugar and water using his bare hands (and arms too). Then he scooped out the seeds and fibre until it all became a homogeneous orange liquid, emptying into it, some masala wrapped in a tattered newspaper - his secret ingredients, he said. Finally, he garnished the pot with a garland of bael leaves and declared he was ready for business.
More From This Section
The school bus came and went, but I was spellbound by his sales pitch. He told his first customer how the bael tree was considered sacred, symbolising Lord Shiva. By the time he'd given him the spiel about its health benefits, the customer had already downed a glassful, perhaps too thirsty to be interested in the story. He told the next customer, clearly more credulous than his predecessor, that his grandmother used bael fruit instead of coconut for her religious rituals. The third customer was so floored by the health benefits of bael that he consumed two glasses.
I left soon after, wondering at his salesmanship and the disregard for hygiene that he and his customers displayed. With the imposition of some basic quality standards, I mused, like filtered water, good quality sugar and a simple spoon to stir the pot with, he could have been selling a healthy, locally sourced alternative to soft drinks. Instead, like most things within the reach of India's aam aadmi, this bael juice was good in principle, but filled with hidden pitfalls. As they often say, you usually do get what you ask for….