Attired casually, as they get into an uninhibited conversation, it’s hard not to be smitten by the infectious smile blended with equal doses of innocence, humility, exuberance, self belief and determination, enveloping their sunny faces. Seriously, there is nothing formal about Rajat Mahakuda, 21, Jayesh Acharya 21, Ashutosh Nahak, 20, Nihal Vineesh, 20, Rebika Sahu, 22 or Indu Kumari Sahoo, 20.
However, their tale of how they dared to dream during the horrible phase of Covid 19 and shaped it to a reality, even before the pandemic could wither away, is indeed fascinating. Having seized the opportunity early, they are on their entrepreneurial expedition. It’s still early days, though.
While, the boys operate Delhub, a home delivery startup that deals in everything from A-Z, all ‘daily hyper essentials’ including documents and pharma products, Rebika’s bakery unit RB Amelie’s is doing brisk pre Christmas business. Meanwhile, Indu runs, what is considered as a male’s domain- a road side tea stall.
All students, Rajat, Nihal, Indu (B.Com), Jayesh, Ashutosh (B Tech) and Rebika (MBA final year), they attend their online classes in the morning. “Let him purse the career of his choice, but he must complete his education, first,” asserts Ashutosh’s mother, Nandita.
Interestingly, these six aren’t interested in 9-5 jobs, anymore. For, they aspire to, make it big and in the process, generate employment opportunities. Their mantra: set a goal, work hard, enjoy every moment and stay honest to your job.
Rajat and his partners fondly remember their assignments-some grocery items and a kilo of chicken- on April 25, Delhub’s first day. “We did the 2-3 deliveries a day on bike within Bhubaneswar. The first month was a period of loss,” informs Jayesh.
However, today, they cater to, on an average, 35-35 clients daily in Bhubaneswar. They too have employed six more youths. If there is a new order when the staffs are away, one of the owners does the job. “For us, each assignment is equally important, we can’t afford to say no,” intones Ashutosh.
With increase in business, loss has made way for profit- Rs 13-15k a month, all expenses excluded. Their target: Rs 50k by March 2021. “It’s achievable, sir,” announces Ashutosh with a boyish smile. Their investment: “Only our idea, plus time. And a few hundred rupees pocket money,” they reveal.
Sharing an appreciation post from the Kerala Kala Samiti, Jayesh informs, they received it for completing the task of delivering one hundred, each 10kg packets in less than a day, on the eve of Onam. They have also carried deliveries to Puri and Cuttack. For deliveries within 20km, they charge Rs 65, beyond that, Rs 8 per km.
On a vacation to his ancestral place in Kerala, Nihal says one can make a call on the mobile, send a Whatsapp text or use Delhub’s website and place an order. “Our app should be ready within days,” he informs.
Sitting on the steps of their, all of 63 sq feet, crammed with some plastic chairs and a table, office in Palaspalli, neighboring the Biju Patnaik international airport, Rajat, Jayesh and Ashutosh inform, Delhub’s services are reaching nearby towns and localities, shortly. “We aim to win the customers trust and establish a sustainable brand,” they declare.
They aren’t certainly joking. With a constant eye on the competitors, new as well as the established players across segments -food items (Swiggy, Zomato), grocery (Jio Mart, Grofers) etc, these youths have meticulously planned their future moves. Also they are ready with ‘plans in wraps’ in anticipation of rivals in the chicken, mutton and fish segment. “Every evening we discuss the issues encountered in the day and plan how to address them. Here, planning is a continuous process,” puts Rajat.
When, there is an order for ‘this type of stuff’ without much product details, these four screen though the internet and their network of suppliers. If the customer is not happy, they re-start their search to meet the demand. It requires extra time and effort, but, they concede, it’s a part of their job.
However, they rue for turning down some orders for birthday cakes which arrived post 11 pm with a pre midnight delivery deadline, last month. On another occasion, they skipped a lady’s request for a parrot. “We are trying to address such issues,” promises Ashutosh.
Incidentally, problems in availing household essentials in their own homes during the lockdown months forced childhood chums, Rajat and Nihal to think and do something in this regard. As a trial run, they delivered daily essentials among their relatives and neighbors. Then they decided to take it to the next level and Delhub was born. Days later, Jayesh and Ashutosh, came on board.
Similarly, tired of the lockdown’s enforced rest, the only child of her parents, Rebika, who had attempted unsuccessfully a year ago, thought of another tryst with her baking venture. She made different cakes and had her neighbors have a bite. They liked, and also recommended others to try her cakes. Begun with an initial capital of Rs 3000 from her two-room home in Baramunda locality, RB Amelie’s is raking in a monthly profit of Rs 22,000 a month since its inception in September.
Enthused, she has added more options including the ‘meant for the children’ DIY pizza kit (a buffet containing ingredients to prepare instant pizzas at home) to the menu. Coming soon- packaged snacks from her kitchen.
If the order is from her vicinity, Rebika walks or takes an auto and does the delivery, herself. Otherwise, she hires Delhub’s services. “They have delivered more than 60 orders,” she concedes.
Rebika, who advertises her products on the social networking platform Instagram, is receiving inquiries from different corners of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. “My cakes have reached distant Keonjhar and Bolangir, too,” she beams.
Though her mother Sumita is happy with Rebika’s decision, she has one complain. “Often, Rebika works the entire night; I tell her to sleep, but she doesn’t listen,” she says. Giving her a hug, Rebika tells she learnt cake baking lessons, from her mother, during Christmas time.
Unlike the rest, Indu is away from her parents based at Paradip. In Bhubaneswar, she stays in a women’s hostel, from where she’s borrowed the plastic table on which the portable gas stove, container and other materials including boxes of biscuits are mounted. She spent the Rs 180, her savings from pocket money, on milk, sugar, tea dusts etc.
On day one, a fortnight ago, she drew blank, as no one visited her makeshift stall that sits on the footpath by the CRP square-Ekamra Kanan road. However, from last week her daily sell has climbed to just over Rs 300. She charges Rs 5 for a cup of tea.
By Indu’s admission, mostly the morning walkers prefer to enjoy hot tea at her stall to beat the winter chill. “People are slowly getting to know about my stall,” she claims.
For the boys, once the day’s job is over, it’s time for indulgence. While, Jayesh, a disc jockey since he was 14, with over five hundred performances to his credit across Odisha and beyond (Jamshedpur and Hyderabad), doesn’t forget to rehearse his skills, Ashutosh does coding for Delhub on weeknights. On weekends, he plays the latest tunes on the piano before hitting the bed.
A travel freak, Rajat, Delhub’s marketing boss, researches about the latest products and tracks rivals, till late into the night. Unable to chase his passion-biking- due to restrictions, Nihal catches up with a movie, daily. He plans to ride his Royal Enfield ‘Bullet’ to Darjeeling with his biker friends, post Covid.
However, the two girls spend their spare time, differently. Rebika learns new dishes from YouTube before trying herself. Waking up very early, post her seven hours job, a tired Indu prefers to sleep. She happily announces that both her brothers- running electronic goods business- are proud of her.
They have all the reasons for that.
Debi Mohanty
