Rubel Shah, 25, is a second-year history master’s student at the Murshidabad's Open University. But the student of history who lives in Domkal, Murshidabad, could well inspire management students with his innovation in business.

Son of marginal farmer Saidul Shah, Rubel saw hard times as the pandemic started last year.

To supplement his farmer’s meagre income from farming, Rubel had opened a tea stall on the ground floor of his family home in March 2020. But the lockdown happened, and the tea stall was shut for three months. When it opened, business took time to pick up.

Rubel said he noticed that tea stalls in Domkal, or for that matter Murshidabad district as a whole, not only serve biscuits and snacks, but also leave a television set on the whole day.

Customers love watching news or sports or films on television as they take a bite of bread or biscuit and sip from their cuppa. But Rubel could not afford a television set.

“The television at a tea stall is a cultural touchstone over here. No one will come to a stall without a television set,” Rubel said.

So he did what he could, serving the best tea possible, introducing coffee, keeping his snacks fresh and his service warm. He got a loyal clientele but without television people did not linger at his tea stall. A lingering customer means more business as he keeps ordering tea and coffee at intervals.

Finally, this June, Rubel thought of an out-of-the-box idea to draw bigger crowds than his competitors in the vicinity. Rubel took a leaf out of coffee shops in cities to offer free Wi-Fi to his customers. The innovation, unique in his area, completely changed his business.

Rubel installed a fibre optics broadband cable in his tea stall and made the bandwidth publicly available. As word spread, from early July, his tea shop turned into an office, a library and a hangout rolled into one.

“People are coming here from even Islampurbazar, 8km away. Customers come for the free Wi-Fi, but it compels them to stay longer and they end up drinking more tea and coffee,” said the enterprising youth, who lives on the second floor with his parents.

Business is good. He pays a bill of Rs 590 a month for the unlimited broadband usage. In turn, over July itself, he generated Rs 25,000 in revenue. His father Saidul also helps him out.

Murshidabad is no stranger to large numbers of unemployed youths in a sparsely industrialised area. It is known as one of the main generators of migrant labour across India. In such a scenario, Rubel’s initiative to do something different while studying has drawn appreciation.

“His tea is excellent too,” added a regular customer.

Rubel insists his customers wear masks and follow Covid safety protocol given the prolonged crowding. “People are willing to follow precautions for the reward (Wi-Fi),” he said.