At 85, Bhagwan Babli Naik or Babu Soda as he is fondly known as has been making and selling guddi soda for the last 60 years on his Portuguese era soda machine in Sada, Vasco
Bhagwan Babli Naik began his small business enterprise of making and selling guddi soda 61 years ago. Today, at the age of 85, Naik or Babu Soda as he is more fondly known as remains an entrpreneur at heart with people from all over Goa and all walks of life from politicians to little children, visiting his litle stall in Sada, Vasco just to get a taste of guddi soda which has been forgotten with modernisation and availability of aerated drinks.
Naik who came to Goa in 1948 to work for Ramakant Shetye tells a tale which is inspiring and takes us back to the black and white era. Recollecting the older days, Naik narrates that he worked with Shetye for 14 years for a payment of Rs 3 and began selling guddi soda in 1955.
" Ramakant Shetye helped me with the stall without me having to put in any investment myself. He did this as a gift after he had a great business season of guddi soda with my assistance. I managed his work and my gadda. We even Goa's first soda machines after seeing catalogues.We worked day and night and the Portuguese sailors were our greatest clients in the port," he recalls. However, sometime later Shetye expressed his desire to discontinue with the business and wanted to sell the machine. Naik however decided to retain the machine and to this date still uses it.
Crediting his late wife as his strongest support, he reveals that whenever there was scarcity of water, she would draw water from a well at a distant place in the hilly terrain of Sada and get it for the soda.
"I set up a stall in Sada and gave my relative to run retail soda business while I set up soda production at home and catered to bigger clients. I had bullock carts and would supply three cartloads, four times a day to Portuguese sailors," he states.
However, things became difficult after he and his wife met with an accident, which took the lives of his family members and his wife. Suddenly Naik found himself having to take care of his small children by himself. "I stopped business, told my labour to go home and stayed alone with my kids" said Naik. But not for long.
"After some days MMC approached me and said that they would give me incentives and subsidies but requested me not to stop my business so I decided to handle the retail sale at my gadda. I would make a soda at home and sell at my stall," says Naik. "After I lost my wife I decided that I would not run after money but take this as an opportunity to do social service by selling soda at almost landing cost.After selling sodas for as low as one anna today I have customers paying me good money and I also sell special limbu soda and masala soda."
In fact, for limbu sodas, he uses big lemons from Pernem and Sawantawadi villages as these, he says are very healthy.
When questioned about the difficulties in the business, Naik said he had as many as 600 stitches on various parts of the body owing to soda bottle blasts. Despite this he did not stop business.
"Today the machines are not available and spares can't be arranged. I have worked on this machines for last 60 years and I only repair them when required. I have to be careful as these bottles also are not available and I have only three cases left. I have survived so many incidents and I think God wants me to continue doing this for as long as I live," Naik said, adding that he once tried introducing his son to the business but after a mishap wherein the son cut his hand on a bottle, he decided to do it all himself.
" People suggest that I should increase my rates but I feel at this age it should be a social service. Sometimes it becomes economically unviable but since I only make and sell it, it is okay. I never send any client back and accept whatever they give me for the soda because they come here out of love for me" said Naik, who still has big plans for his soda business.
"After my guddi soda bottles are over I plan to approach the council and start a soda plant. I want the cheapest soda to be made available for my Sada people. I am 85 but I still want to do a lot more business. I sell 50 limbu sodas and make 4 trips per day with 2 cases of soda." Naik said. "Everyday someone comes to enquire about me. They update me about news in Goa and I don't require a newspaper. My customers have often told me that I should never stop selling guddi soda."
