NOVEMBER 5: Ghulam Abu, 62, shines shoes at CST. Parallely he deals in some of the costliest real estate in Mumbai. No sale deeds, no rent receipts, no land records...he hates paper work.

Abu ``owns'' several 3 ft by 3 ft spots at nearly half the stations on both the Central and Western Railways. ``Thirty years ago when I started shining shoes, the rent for a spot was Rs 2 a month. I had then bought one at Bandra for Rs 100 from a canteen owner who allowed me to shine shoes opposite his eatery. ``I now own that space and several others,'' he says.

Today, Abu charges anything between Rs 1,000 and 2,000 as rent and a deposit of Rs 25,000 to 50,000 for these spots. The rates are flexible, he says. ``All depends on the business potential of a spot.'' Quite a few other things here are flexible. Agreements for these tiny spaces are made verbally and even terminated with minimum of fuss - it suits everybody: the `owners', the lessee, the railway police and the officials. With over 3,000 shoe shiners across the Mumbai suburban section there is enough business to keep everybody happy.

But, for some the economics don't work. R J Sharma came to Mumbai five years ago from his native place in Bihar. After studying till standard XII in his hometown, the thought of earning money brought him to Mumbai. Though he told his parents that he would be pursuing higher studies, he wanted to get rich fast.

``I paid Rs 10,000 for the space I am using now (at Kurla). The money was sent by my parents and uncles for my college admission.'' Sharma still has not been able to break even. He blames it on the low profile of the station. ``People come here to change trains. Nobody has the time to stop for a shine.'' He is now looking for a spot on the Western line preferably Dadar. ``Dadar has the right kind of atmosphere. I am sure I can make a lot of money there.'' But, it won't be easy for Sharma to find a place at Dadar. There are many people who need to be taken care of...a lot money is required. ``If a new person enters the station without meeting the railway officials, it does not matter. But if he tries to do it without our consent, he pays for it,'' said Rashiappa Ghond, who holds a spot at Bandra station. And if he wants a particular spot it will cost him even higher. ``A lot depends where you are located. Places like passenger concourses, ticket booking windows, below train indicators are the most sought after and these spots cost you a bomb,'' said Chaini who has rented out a spot at Borivli.

He said earnings average between Rs 50 and Rs 100 per day. In the rainy season earnings drop to as low as Rs 10 to Rs 15 per day. ``Rainy shoes are our worst enemies.'' Interestingly, spaces on the Western railway are always in demand than on the Central due to what shoe shiners claim the ooncha crowd.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.