~ Mohan - The Artist of the Peel...~

Its and Art that he learnt all by himself and that nobody actually taught him. He has been peeling the pineapple with equal fervor for almost a decade now and the expertise has become his benchmark - the zig-zagness of the peel gives it an artistic style and no wonder it gives you a feeling of goodness and taste when you have it! Mohan describes himself as a man with an artistic bent of mind - earlier when he was in his hometown - a remote village in north India, he used to be a craftsman working along with his ailing father, who was a fruits seller. 

He quickly adapted himself to the dire situation life demanded and thus took the onus upon him to work with his father in his “fruit Business” – it’s been now almost 20 years that he is selling fruits, seasons change and so his Mohan’s sell! Sometimes he is selling Pineapple,, in summers he would be selling stack full of mangoes – with all shapes and sizes – his best bet is the mega “Alfonso” Mango which he brings for super special customers as per him “Sir, It is very costly for an average customer to have it and I find not much takers for undisputed king of Mangoes!”

It was his stark charm that captivated me for the first time almost an year ago – when I enquired about some fruit and he said “ for you, it is half the price, even if you don’t pay me, it would do!” – now that was a statement to make me fall for his marketing trick – no wonder I had twice the kg of fruit which I did not intended! 

Mohan is a self-motivated man and dances with the tune of life, what life offers to him, he just obeys. Every time I meet him, I see a spark in his eyes, a new zeal, he would wish me with the same zeal and smile which I fell for almost a year ago – I see him always contended and happy and self absorbed in his peeling of the pineapple fruit. This Saturday was a little different as I could see him making different designs on his peel – as my turn came, I enquired why this change – he had a philosophical  answer to my question “ Sir, change is life!” – it was bang on, as to a thinker, it had a deep meaning and substance to corroborate to the life we all life – we don’t want to change for better but it definitely happens!

He further stated “ making different designs make the fruit attractive and many customers fall for the fruit – just the other day I was thinking to do something different , so this idea clicked… now wonder he has bought the PayTM subscription as well as he wants to be with the changing time and doesn’t want to miss the technology bus all the vendors are going through – I tinged him with a simple sentence “Mohan, you have got tech savvy too…”  to which he replied “Sir, customers want to send money via online- it was my son Raju, he gave me this idea to go digital… business has surely improved and there is no argument and tension of change too…!”

His articulative answers and his reading about the pulse of the business is what makes him different…more so his style and zeal of life is totally engrossing to a readable mind…Manoj is a hero in his own self… doing his Karma with truth and devotion… no sulking and making the best use of what situation he has been put into by God…though his last words this Saturday were truly an eye opener “Sir for me Karma is God!” … I am still in my pensive self, there is much much more that what meets the eye with Mohan…