This owner, MD of travel agency like to work at night: ‘We do accounting work in silence’
Sarafaraz Siddiqui, 32, and Mausam, 36, run a transport business in Irani Mansion, near Dadar Central Terminus, with 38 travel buses going to dozens of cities in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat.
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In 2005, when Mumbai was flooded, Siddiqui (right) and Mausam had decided to provide free bus services to people. Three buses, one for women, were run with money out of their pockets.
After the last Dolphin Travel House bus sets off from its bus-stand in Dadar (East) at half-an-hour past midnight, the owner and the managing director of the centre sit back in their chairs as their night shift continues for the next four hours, until the last bus reaches its destination.
Sarafaraz Siddiqui, 32, and Mausam, 36, run a transport business in Irani Mansion, near Dadar Central Terminus, with 38 travel buses going to dozens of cities in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat.
Started 17 years ago, the travel centre now has at least seven employees, serving customers all day.
The owner, Sarafaraz, and his managing director, Mausam, arrive at 4 pm and stay at the office till 4 am.
“We two are the only ones working at night here. After 1 am, we keep the store shutter half-shut and we do the accounting of the office and all 38 buses. There is no one to disturb us then and we work in silence,” they said.
Both are married and are fathers. “I have a wife and a one-year-old son who I go home to by 5 am in the morning,” said Siddiqui. Mausam’s wife and three children live in Bihar.
Sitting in front of their computers all night, they usually don’t have customers after 1 am. Talking about unusual nights, they said, “There are nights when customers need to travel urgently and seek any medium to reach another place. We make adjustments and provide them a means of travel at any cost then. We also provide car services at that hour.”
With five to seven such customers in a month, Siddiqui and Mausam feel like it is their duty to help these people in need.
“At that time, we do not look for profit. Finding a solution is more important than making money at times,” they said.
“Sometimes, we also help lost travelers. People end up in the wrong places and need help to get to their destination,” added Mausam.
“But, there are times when drunkards pass by and we have to entertain them. People, on late-night walks, stop and talk with us. That is distracting as we are often in a hurry to finish the accounting.”
In 2005, when Mumbai roads and rails were submerged under several feet of water, Siddiqui and Mausam had decided to provide free bus service to people. They had provided three buses, one only for women, and paid for the service out of their pockets.
“We love working at nights and have no complaints,” said Siddiqui and Mausam, grinning humbly.
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