1 Page 1 of 22 COMMUNICATION PATTERNS OF HAWKERS & BUS CONDUCTORS IN KOLKATA By Sudhish S. (09BS0002433) Surjajyoti Biswas (09BS0002482) Swarnabha Dey (09BS0002492) Sweta Soni (09BS0002524) Tanvi Drolia (09BS0002554) Anand Gupta (09BS0003064) {SECTION- E} ICFAI BUSINESS SCHOOL, KOLKATA
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COMMUNICATION PATTERNS OF
HAWKERS & BUS CONDUCTORS IN
KOLKATA
By
Sudhish S. (09BS0002433)
Surjajyoti Biswas (09BS0002482)
Swarnabha Dey (09BS0002492)
Sweta Soni (09BS0002524)
Tanvi Drolia (09BS0002554)
Anand Gupta (09BS0003064)
{SECTION- E}
ICFAI BUSINESS SCHOOL, KOLKATA
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COMMUNICATION PATTERNS OF
HAWKERS AND BUS CONDUCTORS IN KOLKATA
By
Sudhish S.
Surjajyoti Biswas
Swarnabha Dey
Sweta Soni
Tanvi Drolia
Anand Gupta
Business Communication
ICFAI BUSINESS SCHOOL, KOLKATA
Date of submission: 11th August, 2009
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Authorization
The report is submitted as partial fulfillment of the
requirement of MBA program at ICFAI Business School,
Kolkata.
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Acknowledgements
First of all, we are immensely indebted to Mr. Ashim Ghosh, Director,
IBS Kolkata & Mrs. Sharbari Saha, Faculty Member of Business
Communication, IBS Kolkata for giving us the opportunity to work for
such an interesting project.
We would be failing in our duty if we do not thank our respondents who
gave their valuable time and answered the survey questions with
tremendous patience and understanding.
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Table of contents
Topic Page no.
List of illustrations 06
Synopsis 07
Introduction 08
Communication pattern of bus conductors 09
Communication pattern of hawkers 14
Conclusion 17
Recommendations 18
Attachments 19
References 22
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List of illustrations
The study does not contain any distinct illustration. The research
is based on interaction with a number of random bus conductors
and hawkers across Kolkata.
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Synopsis
This report analyses the communication patterns for bus conductors and hawkers in
Kolkata. The main focus is on the how the conductors and hawker communicate in
market to make the sale. We have tried to capture the common terms and different
modes of communication used.
To collect the data we have interviewed hawkers and bus conductors from different
parts of the city. The report also focuses on the problems faced by people in this niche
sector.
Hawking is generally considered as a “menace” or an “eyesore” that prevents the development of Kolkata as a world-class city. But this article explores the essential presence of hawkers in a city, which requires a critical understanding of the functioning of public space. The experiences of hawkers in Kolkata, as elsewhere in India, have taught them not to fear a regulatory state, but a predatory one, a state that constantly demands bribe sand threatens demolition, against which a license provides security. Bus conductors are people who are responsible for the sale of the ticket and
management of the crowd in the bus. We have tried to depict the communication
patterns adopted by them for interacting with the public as well as the driver of the bus.
Special focus is given on bus conductors in Kolkata. Bus conductors in Kolkata as
compared to the other states are more responsive and caring to the public.
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Introduction
The report has been prepared to understand the communication patterns and styles of two of the
most interesting groups in Kolkata, the Hawkers and the Bus Conductors. The study helped
remove a number of pre conceived notions about them and will certainly help understanding
them and communicating with them better.
Purpose, Scope and limitations:
The Purpose of this report is to list out the communication pattern of bus conductors and
Hawkers in Kolkata. Although the sampling has been carried out only in few places in Kolkata,
the general communication pattern is more or less the same all over Kolkata.
Sources and Methods:
Data collected is predominantly Primary data.
In preparing this report, we have interviewed conductors at several places which include Garia
(no.5) Bus Terminus, 45 bus Terminus, Patuli-Ramgarh Bus Terminu (Patuli), Bus no 71.
We interacted with Hawkers at places like Gariahat, Esplanade, Hatibagan, Ultadanga &
Chandnichowk.
Report Organization:
The report reviews the different kinds of conductors and hawkers in Kolkata, analyses the
different trends in their communication pattern, and summarizes them at the end.
Limitations:
There was time constraint as the research had to be done in a short time and Kolkata is a
big and diverse city.
Cost constraints were faced.
Scarcity of resources was a problem.
Only a limited number of hawkers and bus conductors could be interacted with.
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Communication pattern of Bus conductors :
Kolkata is very well connected by buses and some buses operate very early in the morning to very late in the night. However, Kolkata‟s bus system might take a little getting used to. Bus stops are often not clearly marked out and can be distinguished by spotting a group of people standing on the road side. There are no timetables and the routes aren‟t explained so the best thing to do is wait for a bus, hail it and ask the bus conductor if the bus goes where you are headed, if not, ask him which bus you should take instead. They are usually very helpful and almost always provide the right information.
The buses usually have open doors and are manned by two conductors on each door. We don‟t have to worry about paying at the door, once the bus starts moving, the conductor will spot unpaid passengers and ask you to pay. A flimsy paper ticket is given and unfortunately daily or monthly tickets are not available.
Payment can vary between Rs.2 and Rs.5 (US$0.04 to $0.10) for a trip, depending on
the distance travelled.
Classification of buses of Kolkata:
Buses of kolkata
Government undertaken (run by corporations)
CSTC
CTC
WBSTC
NBSTC
SBSTC
Private (public buses and mini Buses)
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The basic qualification criteria for becoming a conductor in the government
undertaken sector is Class 8th standard whereas there is no such criteria for the
private run buses. It largely depends on the owners of the transport.
The buses in the Govt. undertaken sector generally consists of a single driver and
a conductor (per bus) where as in the case of a private buses it varies between 3
and 4(1 driver,2 conductors,1 helper in case of a public bus and 1 driver,1
conductor and 1 helper in the case of a mini bus).
Conductors in both the service (govt. and pvt.) are required to obtain a license
from the Motor Vehicles .The conductors in the govt. service have a fixed duty
hour(8 hrs approx every day),6 days a week and they are required to serve either
in the Morning, Evening or in the Night Shift depending on their schedule and
requirement. The private conductors have no such fixed duty hrs. They generally
work for avg. 14-18 hrs a day (7 days a week).
The conductors are generally of two types (sub classification)-the trainee and
the permanent. In the private buses the helper is generally promoted to the place
of a conductor after he gets sufficient training and deemed fit for the job.
Function of a bus conductor:
They generally bangs the body of the bus or use the bell of the bus for
communicating with the drive
They collect the money (charge of the trip) from the passengers and keep them in
between their fingers after folding.
They shout at their topmost volume while interacting with the passengers.
Problems they generally face while interaction with the passengers:
Ramesh Prasad,a conductor of Bus no-71,who has been in the profession for 7 years
identified the following problems they face everyday.
They feel disgusted when a passenger gives them a 100 rs note for a 4 or 5 rs
ticket
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Sometime the passengers delays the payment for the tickets and gets down
without paying for the ticket
As this is their daily job or routine they normally don‟t indulge in argument
with the passengers
Their life is very hectic
They usually depend on the incentives for their living.
If the passenger tells the conductor to stop the bus in the middle of the
stoppage the conductors get irritated.
Political affiliation/union:
All the private buses in Kolkata have got political backings or are affiliated to either the
CPM (Communist Party of India-Marxist) as CITU or the TMC (Trinomool Congress).
e.g, all the private bus service in the Jadavpur area is affiliated to the CITU.
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Communication Pattern:
Calcuttans on the street, more than any other city, have a term or a phrase of their own
for everything under its scorching sun. No city can match it for orginality and
spontaneity when you talk of a roadside lexicon. No other citizen in the world has the
intensity, the passion and the sense of humor that the Calcuttan has. With his turn of
phrase he is an Oscar Wilde, Bernard Shaw and Sukumar Ray rolled into one.
Expressive, explosive and always exclusive. Following are a few jargons used by the bus
conductors in Kolkata-
Jargons Meaning
Handicap Handicap!! A bus conductor referring to a handicapped person.
baie ja,baie ja…
Conductor urging the driver to manoeuvre the vehicle to the left
Chepe daran,chepe basun!
Conductor urging the passengers to stand/sit more closely to give space to others.
Dada/Didi ticket ta baraben
Conductor urging the male/lady passengers to buy the ticket.
Jaldi/taratari uthun/namun
Conductor urging the passengers to get up/get down quickly.
Ringing the bell once/twice:
Implies to stop/proceed the bus
Peeprey
auto-rickshaws who are multiplying in hundreds and bugging one and all
Charpoka
Maruti 800
Haati
double-decker buses with a 'trunk' in which the driver sits; an almost extinct species
Matchbox:
Calcutta's first generation mini-buses that left you hunchbacked and stiff-necked.
Electikey Chalao:
a bus conductor's coded jargon, telling his driver to speed-break in order to jerk passengers further in, since they are all
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crowding near the entrance.
Dada, je akebarey daak-ticket hoye shetey galen:
sarcastic comment targeting Romeos who refuse to budge from the vicinity of the ladies seats, invariably getting 'stuck', just like a stamp on an envelope
Sandow maashi:
a tongue-in-cheek conductor's term describing a not-so-young lady wearing a sleeveless blouse, a la Govinda.
Langras:
three-legged tempos that limp along and handicap other drivers
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Communication pattern of Hawkers:
According to the survey conducted by the team in the five major marketplaces in
Kolkata (Ultadanga, Hatibagan, Esplanade, Chandnichowk & Gariahat) the hawkers of
Kolkata can be classified into many small segments depending on the parameters like-
activeness & behavior.
Classification of the hawkers on the basis of their activeness:
On the basis of the activeness hawkers of Kolkata are of 3 types-
1. Over-active hawkers:
This type of hawkers makes unnecessary noises in the marketplace. They
generally do excessive effort to attract people to them or their product. They
shout unnecessarily (sometimes with a microphone), make funny comments or
gestures to make their selling superfluous.
2. Active hawkers:
This type of hawkers doesn‟t overdo anything to sell their products. It doesn‟t
mean that they don‟t shout at all, they start calling the customers only when they
perceive that the customers are coming towards their stall or about to buy
something from them. They behave very politely & frankly with the customers.
This type of hawkers often succeeds in retaining their customers.
3. Inactive hawkers:
This type of hawkers prefers to remain silent; they don‟t do any considerable
effort to attract the customers. Even when the customers come to them to buy
something then also they hardly do any kind of interaction with them.
Composition of different hawker markets of Kolkata: