Assam man buys scooter with savings in coins

Daily wager Upen Roy’s habit of keeping aside small change helps him realise dream

Executives at a two-wheeler showroom on the outskirts of Guwahati were at their wits’ end when Mr. Roy walked in with his wife and a bundle of coins a couple of days ago. He was keen on buying a scooter.

The manager of the outlet thought of turning him away after consulting the bank, which declined to accept the payment for a scooter — a tad more than ₹89,000 — to be deposited in coins. But he decided to let the man realise his long-cherished dream of owning a two-wheeler after asking his friends, acquaintances and the employees to exchange the coins with currency notes.

“Selling the latest model to this man took more than thrice the time we normally take for a customer. This was primarily because we had to count the coins in denominations of ₹1, ₹2, ₹5 and ₹10,” Shyam Gurung, an executive at the outlet, said.

Mr. Roy’s bill came up to a little over ₹92,000, with insurance and the prices of some accessories added.

“We have had customers paying in coins, but for small amounts — say ₹50 or ₹100 — as part of the down payment,” Mr. Gurung said.

Mr. Roy, a resident of Guwahati’s Paschim Boragaon locality, said he had made it a habit to save small change from his daily expenses since 2014. A casual counting of his “treasure” a few days ago revealed he had collected coins worth ₹1.5 lakh. “That is when I thought of buying a scooter, something I had dreamed of owning to ensure that my wife does not have to move about in public transport,” he said.

This was the second such case in Assam. A man in western Assam’s Barpeta had in February bought a motorcycle with coins.