Sonipat’s Economies of Vice

In the first piece by the Research Wing of the Edict, we explore the evolution of an infamous illegal shack outside Ashoka University, and the lure of catering to university students, in the village.

By Urvin Soneta (Founding Class), Sparsh Agarwal (Class of 2019), and Zainab G. Firdausi (Class of 2019).

On 23 August, 150 students from Jindal University were detained by officers from Rai PS in a “rave” party at a guest house called Anjani. Only a few days after the incident, on 28 August, the administration of Ashoka University issued caveats to students regarding venturing to illegal establishments outside campus, and how this maybe grounds for disciplinary action.

Both Ashoka and Jindal are located in and around Rajiv Gandhi Education City, an ambitious project by the previous state government to create a hub for universities in the Delhi NCR region. And although the project is laudable, its creators, perhaps, did not pay much heed to the context and location in which they were going to be placing students aged 18–25. Often feeling shut-up and fatigued within the four walls of their campuses, students have begun venturing out to unwind, and this how they end up in places such at Anjani.

Ashoka was set up in 2014 by a coterie of philanthropists and industrialists who desired to create a premier liberal arts University for Indian students. In the backdrop of this aspiring young university, there exist the aspirations of others nearby. The ambitious shadow of Haryana lurks; it’s fuelled by the desire to capitalise on the phenomenal urbanisation and migration taking place in Sonipat; wishing to cash in on any Indian college student’s obvious necessities: “juice, milk, and brownies” (euphemisms used by the owner of the shack to refer to the alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana that was sold by him in our interview with him).

This is a tale of rising “confectionary shops” (another euphemisms used by the owner to refer to his outfit), rival groups, and the economies of vice.

“There’s Plenty of Juice to Keep this Economy Going”

In Sonipat, Thursdays nights are the new Friday nights. “So, what’s the scene?” is now the most popular phrase featuring any conversation post classes on Thursdays. It is with these words that students at Ashoka begin planning their evening of indulgence.

In the Summer of 2017, three years after the University opened, the first “confectionary shop” was set up 400 meters from the entrance of the University near the nearby Asawarpur village by a duo of brothers: Tonu* and Tohit*. Tonu, a former employee at Ashoka is in his early 20s, a student at Delhi University by day and businessman by night. ‘Tonu’s Sutta Point (SSP)’* was the first entrant into the lucrative ‘juice business’ in Sonipat last year. The opening of the campus had already brought a theka (alcohol shop) and a cigarette shop to the vicinity, but as Tonu recounts, “The students wanted to have ‘juice’ and ‘cakes’ late at night at a place that wasn’t far away and offered comfort. I offered it to them”. One can only speculate whether having worked inside the Ashoka Campus transformed Tonu’s entrepreneurial vision or not.

Tonu recounts that the immediate success of his “confectionary shops” was largely because of his own “goodwill” among students. Across the road from Tonu’s shack there’s a police headquarters under construction, and he doesn’t yet have a license for his shop. However, his goodwill extends to the local police as well. Tonu admits that his “juices” are overpriced but that his establishment thrives on the loyalty of his customers. Nonetheless, the loyalty of his customers was soon to be tested with new entrants into this highly competitive market.

Twist in the Tale

Tonu’s success in the “juice” business opened up an unrealised market for the local community of Sonipat — one which had high risks, but proportionate returns. With a small initial investment and not too many costs (mainly rent for the land and the music- speakers and wages for his employees), Tonu had created a brandname for himself. He also created animosity, and jealousy, which was soon going to start a vicious cycle of violence, corruption, involvement of gangsters and ruthless business decisions.

Three months after SSP opened, a local from Asawarpur, Tunil*, decided to open his own “confectionary shop” across from Tonu’s. This competitor had local village support, muscle to flex, and a definite sense of humour (or just poor creativity), as was evident by the ‘original’ name that he picked for his establishment as well: ‘Tunil’s Sutta Point’(SSP)*. With a grand opening, and by offering free “juice, tea, and milk”, Tunil tried to rope in Tonu’s customer base. However, what started as a competitive market of vices where the students were just beginning to gain due to plummeting prices, soon saw an intervention from the village.

About the time of Diwali, Tonu and his brother Tohit were assaulted by a group of local villagers who demanded that they leave. They had found out that Tonu was from the village of Rai; and the relations between Rai and Asawarpur were like “India-Pakistan”, Tonu explained. Tohit was admitted into the ICU, Tonu was only slightly better, and the original SSP shack had to temporarily close its shutters. Tunil now had the monopoly, and he intended to keep it. However, soon another “juice shop” opened up beside Tunil’s- “Tonny’s”*. This time, Tunil faced competition from within the village.

Meanwhile, Tonu initiated charges against his competitors for the assault while completing his education at the Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College in Delhi. It was at the time of Ashoka’s annual fest in February that he decided to return to Sonipat. In one move, Tonu had retaken control of the juice business in Sonepat pushing out Tunil and assuaging village animosities.

All Is Not Lost

Tonu has worked out a successful partnership with Tonny, a local from Asawarpur, who has accepted him claiming that Tonu is not really from Rai, since his father was from another village. He now works in conjunction with the village panchayat (with whom Tonny has good relations). Occasionally, the police visit. However, Tonu claims that the sphere of influence Tonny now casts prevents them from creating any problems for him or his customers. However, this newfound legacy hasn’t impressed all. “This is just a mafia group”, as one of the security guards on campus recounts.

Tonu has fought off pressure from the University to close down his “juice and confectionary shop”. He looks upon himself as someone who is creating employment opportunities for the village of Asawarpur while also benefiting those like Taveen* who sells cigarette and tea across the road from his shop.

As the 2018 Spring Semester was coming to an end, the saga for control over Sonepat’s Economy of Vice stood such that Tonu’s Sutta Point was owned by Tonny, and managed by Tonu. The latter’s goodwill was soaring, credibility was secure and margins were increasing. On a good Thursday night he would make profits upwards of Rs. 30,000. For him, business was booming, while he planned to expand. In April, the second branch opened up close to the O. P. Jindal University: ‘SSP WestHouse’.

And while he had expressed hopes to open a “chain of ‘confectionary shops” in Rajiv Gandhi Education City, there seem to be no signs of him recently. The SSP shack has not been open on Thursday nights in the past two months, with one exception in July. It has been two Thursdays since undergraduate students have returned to campus, yet there seems to be no sign of shutters going up. The abrupt closure has forced students to party on the road by the theka, something which is not nearly as glamorous as SSP. The closing maybe due to pressure from college authorities, village politics, or sheer fear after the debacle at Anjani. But with a comeback story as daring as his, one can be sure Tonu will return. The real question is how the second act to the saga of the most entrepreneurial business venture in Sonipat will be written.

*Names have been changed.

Urvin Soneta is a former Undergraduate Student who was in the Founding Batch. Sparsh Agarwal is the Managing Editor of the Opinions Section at The Edict. Zainab Firdausi is Managing Editor of the News Section at The Edict.

Based on interviews with ‘Tonu’,Taveen, and Ashoka’s Security Team.

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