From rags to riches, in 18 minutes...

Ms.X was on her way to work and Murphy's Law had struck in the form of a traffic jam. In an attempt to dissuade her cab driver from blaring Himmesh Reshamiya's latest assault on music, she began to chat with him. In the course of his discussion, Ms.X asked him if the taxi he drove was his own or was he on a shift system like many others.

'His reply had Ms.X speechless. Not only was the taxi he was driving his own, but he also owned six other Fiat taxis, one Toyota Qualis, which he hired out and was now debating between a truck and bus for his next acquisition. Wow!

'Ms.X asked him where he got the money from. . . slightly nervous that she was riding with a possible hitman for Dawood. And his answer was even more surprising.

'He said: "Madam, whenever you need to go some place you take a cab and go. When I have to go some place and I don't have a fare going in that direction, I park my taxi some place and hop into a bus."

'She listened as he spoke. "How much does it cost you to travel from your home to your office?" Rs 100, she said. "Well, Rs 200 for a round trip?" he continued. "Well, let's say you travel through the month by taxi. How much would that cost you?" Some quick math later, Ms.X came up with the answer: Rs 6,000!

'Ms.X was spending Rs 6,000 a month to travel. Then he said: "The bus ticket costs you Rs 10 and say another Rs 20 to get from your home to the bus stop. That's Rs 60 per day for a round trip. You are saving Rs 140 everyday. That's Rs 4,200 a month. . . nearly, Rs 50,000 a year. If you invested that in something, you'd be able to buy your own car!"

'What could she say? Ms.X now travels by bus. And she is doing a Systematic Investment Plan in a mutual fund and paying a monthly premium in a Unit-linked insurance plan."

"What Ms.X could not do in 18 months, a taxi driver had done in 18 minutes."

Source: www.rediff.com