If Madhur Bhandarkar’s Page 3 flipped the covers off the glitterati and Corporate sneaked into boardroom slugfests, then Traffic Signal supposedly turns the lights on gutter-street survival, an intrinsic part of maximum city melodrama.

But the question is whether you, would actually want to know what lies behind the crazy beggar’s lament, the smack addicts passion or the runaway kids ram kahani (life story).

Here is a is one such behind the story stuff I came across the e-newpaper today.

MUMBAI: Nizambhai runs a fairly successful business close to Byculla bridge. His tobacco stall, located near the road leading to Nagpada, draws a constant stream of smokers and paan lovers. But that’s not really the secret of Nizambhai’s success.

A large chunk of his profits come from a surreptitious arrangement that he has with a group of beggars in the neighbourhood. They hand over all their earnings to him for safekeeping; he earns the interest but ensures their money is protected. “These beggars sleep near my shop. They hand over between Rs 200 to Rs 400 per day. But since I can’t keep all the money at my residence or shop, I’ve started putting it in fixed deposits. Whenever they ask for it, I give it,” he says.

The transactions are sizeable considering the shopkeeper deposits over Rs 9 lakh a year from the funds accumulated by the 13 beggars under his charge. “I earn a lot of interest but whenever any of them requires money to send home or to visit their native place, I’m prompt with the payment,” says Nizambhai.

The beggars, not many of whom are known to keep bank accounts, need to protect their earnings from petty thugs and beat cops patrolling the streets. It’s a mutually beneficial agreement though the shopkeeper does try to put an altruistic spin on the deal by saying, “They are socially ostracised, I think it’s my duty to take care of their earnings.”

In the bylanes of central and south Mumbai, numerous small commercial establishments are known to maintain such arrangements. Farhad Seth at Grant Road, who runs a Grade III eatery, says the benefits go far beyond the mere earnings on deposits. A steady supply of loose change, for instance, is among the perquisites. Farhad pays a 10% commission over the value of the change, and if the amount is large, say around Rs 500, he throws in a meal of dal-rice as well. He has been managing funds for about 10 beggars for the last seven to eight years but prefers to park it in his savings account.

“Earlier they would come here to hand over change but after a while many of them began requesting me to keep their money,” says Farhad. The chaps who deal with him make Rs 200-400 a day. The experienced ones earn as much as Rs 70,000 a year despite a couple of long holidays.

Barring a small portion of funds set aside for daily needs or things like bidis, cigarettes or liquor, all the money is deposited in the bank. “Sometimes they get smart by saying they had given me more money, but we maintain an account book,” says Farhad.

Paan-beedi shops, tea stall owners, newspaper vendors and restaurants also get the beggars they deal with to spend their nights outside their shops. This is to ensure a certain level of security. “We don’t need a watchman or security guard. Besides, they keep the area clean and are early risers,” say an eating house owner.

Lucky, who begs at a traffic junction in Mumbai Central and keeps his money with a shopkeeper near Mahalaxmi, says the relationship is one of trust. “On many occasions, I buy vegetables, cigarettes and other things for him. When I leave for my hometown he takes care of my belongings,” says Lucky.

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