Buses or buffaloes were of no help

Two bus owners and crew encounter unexpected challenges in a new venture

When the lockdown brought the private bus industry to a grinding halt last year, two bus owners and four workers turned to a new business to keep themselves afloat. They pooled resources and bought eight buffaloes from Pollachi in Tamil Nadu for ₹1.2 lakh. The idea was to sell them to meat traders for a profit. And the plan seemed to be working when the two bigger ones among the lot were offered up to ₹1 lakh during the Ramzan in April. But the newly turned businessmen had a better idea of waiting till next month when they anticipated an even bigger festival of Bakrid to fetch them a bigger price.