For around seventy years, the diamond industry has depended on the angadia as its means of sending diamonds from one place to another.What makes them so important to, and almost synonymous with, Surat’s flourishing diamond trade? We live in an age of FedEx and Jumbo Boxes. An age where everything has to be done in a hurry. Where speed is of prime importance. And along with this need for speed comes the need for security. We have to be sure that our letter or parcel is in safe hands, and that it will make its way to its destination intact. So, for this illusory peace of mind, we sign forms in triplicate, part with our telephone numbers, and pay large sums of money. Sometimes, the courier fee even exceeds the value of the parcel!
There is, however, another older, traditional and more secure means of couriering. A method of delivery which is over 300 years old, and which still continues today. Welcome to the world of the Angadia. Angadia literally means ‘a courier or someone who makes a delivery door to door’. This ancient system of sending messages or parcels is actually the wheel that turns the economy of the diamond trade.
For around seventy years, the diamond industry has depended on the angadia as its means of sending diamonds from Surat to Mumbai, where buyers come and make their deals. Surat is India’s diamond hub, insofar as it has a thriving diamond cutting and polishing industry, which accounts for cutting over 92 percent of the world’s diamonds and bringing in approximately $8 billion dollars in revenue.
This brings us back to the angadia. What makes him so important to, and almost synonymous with, Surat’s flourishing diamond trade? As is the case with most trades or businesses in India, they are dominated by a particular community. Angadia houses are the domain of the Patel community, and the keyword here is “trust”. There are no receipts involved and transactions are based on faith and self-respect.
It is estimated that deliveries of Rs.100 crore daily make the journey between Surat and Mumbai. The angadias charge 0.1 percent of the value of their parcel. This is far cheaper than any established courier would charge. The service also comes with the guarantee that all losses will be paid for entirely. It is important to note that the delivery rate is 99 percent, with losses arising only from thefts or attacks from outside, and not from the employees of the service.
Who then, are these trusted recruits? They are men of very modest means, who blend inconspicuously with the millions around them. They carry their precious cargo, which is sealed in Surat, in little pouches or packets. They travel by night…not by air, but by bus, train and sometimes, even by lorry! They make their silent journey back and forth, in uncomfortable conditions, yet ever aware of the importance and honor of their mission.
But here one can stop and ask a question. Is this all going to change now that Surat has got an airport? Flights currently only operate between Delhi and Surat, but, come the day when operations begin to Mumbai, or eventually, even to the West, will this mean the end of the trusted angadia?