I needed to get a wireless router at the earliest. I knew very few reliable shops in Bangalore and so I decided to come down to Chennai to get one. I usually give the specs of the electronic items, I need to my bro, who would then wade through this __ritchie street__ and get them for me(sometimes a better configuration or price). But this time, my bro was little preoccupied(still not forgiven for the same ;)) and denied the services he rendered. But life is miserable without wireless and I can't get through one more week without one. So the onus of going to this street and getting the router on my own, fell on me.
My mother was apprehensive about me going alone to this street and she decided to come along. We parked our car, on Mount road(trust me finding parking space was difficult - as difficult as pondi bazzar). We parked bang outside Khadi. After enquiring, how to go to this street in a small beedi stall, we took a left.
Picture: courtesy : http://www.chennaibest.com/discoverchennai/citylifestyle/bazaarbuzz/ritchie.asp
We reached around 12.30 and the place was buzzing with activity. Man, we stepped into a small road that was filled with all kinds of gadgets(clock, movie CD, DVDs, CD pouches). Each shop had zillion DVD players on display. My mom, reminiscent of the days of VCR and VCD, apparently I cried for an entire evening for a VCD player which costed about 16000 back then.
Every shop either played Jhoom bhara bhar jhoom or the inevitable Sivaji in very good quality speakers. The ground was littered with movies DVD (X-Men, Blood diamond...). To add to this chaos, pamphlets advertising range of processors, where strewn all over the place.
We were strictly given orders to look for a place called Supreme Computers Private limited. I was really comforted by the fact that my mother accompanied me, because there where not many women around. After little struggle, we actually found this place. A small dilapidated building with an old board, I was not really optimistic. Anywayz went in to just see a total reversal of opinion of this place. It was a small place (15 * 15 room)filled with people. Mostly college students, eager to assemble a computer, had a long list of items that need to be purchased with serious budgetary constraints. The array of items on display was damn impressive. Wireless routers, bluetooth keyboard, sony viao laptops.. I was drooling all over the place.
Dizzied by the items in display, I was considering a lot more items to buy than I intended to. My mother, guessing from the excitement in my eyes, quipped lets buy the router that we came for and leave the place. Left my mom to sit on the couch and moved in the general direction of the counter. I told my specification to a cute looking northie with broken tamil a Linksys router WRT54G. He said I would have to wait for 5 minutes and I was more than willing to do the same. I was standing near the counter watching people take orders at the counter. It was interesting, as the college students asking these people whether this device would fit on this motherboard, or whether there are any other company gadget that would fit this budget. The guys behind the counter where also impressive pulling quotes/specification from air. They would have easily made sale of 75000 bucks in a matter of half an hour. Boy their business model is strong and they have managed to establish their brand value among college students.
My router arrived as promised in 5 minutes. I would not mind standing at the counter, watch people buy gadgets for another hour(this is no way related to the northie guy). Guessing that I was amateur, he asked me whether I would pay by cash or card and I promptly replied card and he went on to explain there will be 2% charges on card. Then it dawned on me, why people pay tens of thousands in cash. I had little choices and I payed by card. (Lesson learnt: take cash when you go to such places). Finally left the place after enquiring about the price of Transcend USB 150GB disk.
Boy I would happily work in this place. You get to play with latest gadgets and help students build their configuration and the end get paid for it... Can life get any better.
Returned home with the loot and exhilarating experience and kulfi at the Bombay sweet house. My day was made.
My mother was apprehensive about me going alone to this street and she decided to come along. We parked our car, on Mount road(trust me finding parking space was difficult - as difficult as pondi bazzar). We parked bang outside Khadi. After enquiring, how to go to this street in a small beedi stall, we took a left.
Picture: courtesy : http://www.chennaibest.com/discoverchennai/citylifestyle/bazaarbuzz/ritchie.aspWe reached around 12.30 and the place was buzzing with activity. Man, we stepped into a small road that was filled with all kinds of gadgets(clock, movie CD, DVDs, CD pouches). Each shop had zillion DVD players on display. My mom, reminiscent of the days of VCR and VCD, apparently I cried for an entire evening for a VCD player which costed about 16000 back then.
Every shop either played Jhoom bhara bhar jhoom or the inevitable Sivaji in very good quality speakers. The ground was littered with movies DVD (X-Men, Blood diamond...). To add to this chaos, pamphlets advertising range of processors, where strewn all over the place.
We were strictly given orders to look for a place called Supreme Computers Private limited. I was really comforted by the fact that my mother accompanied me, because there where not many women around. After little struggle, we actually found this place. A small dilapidated building with an old board, I was not really optimistic. Anywayz went in to just see a total reversal of opinion of this place. It was a small place (15 * 15 room)filled with people. Mostly college students, eager to assemble a computer, had a long list of items that need to be purchased with serious budgetary constraints. The array of items on display was damn impressive. Wireless routers, bluetooth keyboard, sony viao laptops.. I was drooling all over the place.
Dizzied by the items in display, I was considering a lot more items to buy than I intended to. My mother, guessing from the excitement in my eyes, quipped lets buy the router that we came for and leave the place. Left my mom to sit on the couch and moved in the general direction of the counter. I told my specification to a cute looking northie with broken tamil a Linksys router WRT54G. He said I would have to wait for 5 minutes and I was more than willing to do the same. I was standing near the counter watching people take orders at the counter. It was interesting, as the college students asking these people whether this device would fit on this motherboard, or whether there are any other company gadget that would fit this budget. The guys behind the counter where also impressive pulling quotes/specification from air. They would have easily made sale of 75000 bucks in a matter of half an hour. Boy their business model is strong and they have managed to establish their brand value among college students.
My router arrived as promised in 5 minutes. I would not mind standing at the counter, watch people buy gadgets for another hour(this is no way related to the northie guy). Guessing that I was amateur, he asked me whether I would pay by cash or card and I promptly replied card and he went on to explain there will be 2% charges on card. Then it dawned on me, why people pay tens of thousands in cash. I had little choices and I payed by card. (Lesson learnt: take cash when you go to such places). Finally left the place after enquiring about the price of Transcend USB 150GB disk.
Boy I would happily work in this place. You get to play with latest gadgets and help students build their configuration and the end get paid for it... Can life get any better.
Returned home with the loot and exhilarating experience and kulfi at the Bombay sweet house. My day was made.
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