Marching to his tune

It's been 50 years since a young Balwant Singh Rana came to Pune and set up Musical Mart on General Thimayya Street. Today, he is a grand...

It8217;s been 50 years since a young Balwant Singh Rana came to Pune and set up Musical Mart on General Thimayya Street. Today, he is a grand old man with a snowy beard and an equally snowy turban. And Musical Mart now provides musical instruments to all the armed forces bands in and around Pune.

Rana sits back with satisfaction as he recalls his success story, which had its beginnings when he left Lahore in the wake of Partition. 8220;My elder brother started his shop in 1937 at Rawalpindi. Riots broke out, there was curfew and the shop remained closed for days on end. We realised that for the sake of our business, as well as our lives, it would be wiser to move out. We came over to Dehra Dun, where we already had a house and some property.8221;

At Dehra Dun, the market for their trade was too limited. Maharashtra and Pune, with its Southern Command, 15 Cantonments and later the National Defence Academy provided immense scope. So while the elder brother opened a manufacturing unit called Rangarsons in Delhi8217;s Okhla Industrial Estate, young Balwant came over to Pune to scout for a potential market.

But life was tough. 8220;Initially, I came alone, leaving my family in Dehra Dun. For six months, I put up at a small hotel in front of the station. Every day, I would travel to all the military and police establishments in and around Pune. I went to Ahmednagar, Belgaum, even up to Secunderabad, Madras and Vishakhapatnam. I would go to each of the establishments to present my credentials, and go frequently, so that my face became familiar.

Soon they started placing orders with me. In those days, travelling was only by third class and there were no facilities for reservations. Whether it was heat or crowds, I just had to sweat it out. I would also make frequent trips to the NDA 8211; on a hired cycle! Three to four of us businessmen, who had work with the NDA, would team up and cycle there together. It was all hard work,8221; he says. The hard work paid off and Singh bagged the contract for supplying instruments to the bands of all the military and police units in most of the Southern region.

Soon Singh brought his family to Pune. 8220;My eldest son, Raminder, who now looks after the shop, was just a baby and my younger one had not been born yet8221;.

Singh attributes his success to 8220;God8217;s grace. He is the greatest.8221; Of course, it helps that Singh supplies good quality instruments, delivers punctually and also provides repairing facilities.

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While Musical Mart deals in everything for the music-lover 8211; whether bagpipes, bugles, trumpets, saxophones, guitar, bongos or even a little mouth organ 8211; Singh himself does not play a single note. 8220;But I know how each of them works and I recognise quality,8221; he adds with a twinkle.

A stately septuagenarian now, his gait remains firm, a result of regular morning walks. He still sits in the little office at the rear of the shop, while business is mainly handled by son Raminder and grandson Gurpreet. 8220;I go through some papers, attend to business on telephone and keep myself busy. What will I do sitting at home anyway?8221; All this keeps him fit and healthy. He is certainly not ready to beat a retreat yet!