Hello, Is it Rajeev Rai speaking?

“Hello, aap Rajeev Rai-ji bol rahen hain?” I’ve been hearing this since the time I took a new mobile connection when I got transferred to Delhi (about 3 years back)..

The calls on my new number asking for Rajeev Rai has been insistent and consistent over the last 3 years…. Phone calls from banks, friends, loan sharks, out of town relatives..and even from the mobile service provider!!! (Vodafone India you have an awesome database about your customers)

Basis the inputs (from the wrong calls) I’ve been receiving on Rajeev Rai… I’ve been able to create a personality of Rajeev Rai….

I believe Rajeev Rai is around 35-40 years old….He would belong to SEC C category in terms of the socioeconomic classification… (Reason… most of the calls address him to either Rajeev Rai-ji and also some instances of him being referred to as ‘mama’ (Uncle)and almost all the calls are from people who speak vernacular Hindi)

My strong guess is that he is/was a small shop owner… this number was his primary phone and he had another mobile connection too… If I were to visualize his physical appearance (now here I’m stereotyping :)) – He has brownish skin complexion, a thin moustache, a protruding belly, might be consuming paan or paan masala habitually, and drives around in a two wheeler

Some of the above observations are concluded from the fact that he has taken petty bank loans (I receive SMS alerts from bank on payment due date and O/S)…. And also had taken loans from loan sharks… I’m sure the loan amount he has taken from loan sharks are not high…as the calls from loan sharks are few and rare (usually it is late night and a drunken voice other side asking for Rajeev Rai with mention of payment to be done)… and usually it is people who are in trade business (where the cash flow is quick) who take loan on high interest from loan sharks and try and re-pay immediately…

Sometimes I get to think that Rajeev Rai is a victim of the liberalized free economy of the new and resurgent India. There could be thousands of Rajeev Rai’s across India who could be first generation entrepreneur, who start-off with a dream and taking capital on high interest…soon the market reality sets in and they caught in a quagmire of loans and repayments….

Other times I think…that Rajeev Rai could be one of the thousand street smart operator…who to maintain a minimum standard of living which is beyond his normal means takes loan/credit from others… thus he is a victim of consumerism - that comes along with free market

Whatever it is…. For me Rajeev Rai is going to die soon…for the next call I get, the conversation would go something like this:

Other person on line: Hello, aap Rajeev Rai-ji bol rahen hain?
Me: Aap Koun? (Who are you?)
Other person on line: Ji, Hum ------- bank se bol rahen hain. (We are calling from -------- bank)
Me: Ji..ab bahut der ho gaya hain… kuch hi din pahle unka dehaant ho gaya (Now it is too late… he died a few days back)

….and the line goes dead (hopefully)…..and hope the calls to Rajeev Rai ceases.

R.I.P Rajeev Rai

Santosh

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