Currently, fairs are being held in many places in connection with the festivals of Durga Puja and Ramlila. When visiting such events, stalls with target shooting are often found, where children, youth, and elderly people come to test their shooting skills.
For example, at the Ramlila fair at Noida Stadium, such stalls were observed where numerous small balloons were hanging on the wall, and visitors shot at them using air guns. Some hit the target, while others missed. Those who missed would pay again to load the air gun and hope for success.
The main source of income for these vendors is the desire of people to hit the target accurately. As long as visitors continue to realize their fantasy by popping balloons with air guns, the pockets of these traders fill up with money. The question arises about what income such shooters can earn in one day at the fair.
The author visited one such stall. The vendor introduced himself as Sandeep, who came from Shamli, and stated that his stall was set up on October 1st and would operate until October 25th. When asked how much shooting at a balloon costs, he replied that 20 shots could be made for 100 rupees.
Sandeep also talked about the number of visitors. He noted that a crowd gathers at the stall after evening sets in. Some visitors are willing to spend between 1000 and 1000 rupees because they keep shooting until they pop enough balloons. Regarding daily earnings, Sandeep reported that with average fair traffic, the income can reach 10-15 thousand rupees per day.
The author then asked about the daily fee for setting up the stall. Sandeep explained that all agreements are made with the contractor who provides them with the space. This contractor takes half of the daily earnings. Questions about payments to the fair administration remain the concern of the contractor. Thus, if the earnings amounted to 10 thousand rupees, the contractor takes 5000 rupees.
Nevertheless, an earning of 5000–7000 rupees daily just from balloon shooting is considered significant. These expenses only include the cost of balloons and cartridges for air guns, as the weapon itself is bought once. The total cost for balloons and cartridges is about 500 rupees. Recently, instead of balloons, other items are sometimes placed, which are given as prizes upon falling, reducing the number of shots, and these items are used as rewards instead of balloons.