~ A Slipper Story...~

So, what could be a gratification quotient in one’s life, be whatever, you are cool as a cucumber and the daily ups and downs of living does not bother your – rather you have tamed your mind and your thoughts to not hinder your daily behavior and they actually don’t bother you anymore – alas! you can be described in a state of daily nirvana!

This can be no joke as I personally know a man – a roadside dweller selling Chappals (local footwear) and always having a smile on his face – He sits on the pavement with no placed fixed and owning a shop is a distant dream for him, certainly not in his lifetime as he himself says so, that too with no regrets but his bubbly smile, life seems to be at ease with this gentleman.

Just the other day, I happened to be near his temporary setup, I was waiting for the currency change I owed after I purchased vegetables from a vendor. Suddenly, I chanced upon him as he was smilingly negotiating a ‘deal’ with his prospective customer, as I could observed, he was trying to sell a pair of slippers for Rs 100, which was the best price he was offering , but the customer was not obliged to the price being offered, the deal was thus fixed for Rs 90, taking a loss of Rs 10, he was still happily packing the pair of his sell whilst he boasted about its quality and replacement if it does not fit the bill.

This happened right in front of my eyes as it was just a 2-minute saga, the customer went off and he started to arrange his products in a unanimous arrangement and thus waited for his next customer.

He looked satisfied and contended with his work, it was quite obvious, as the smile on his face was authentic and described his cerebral state of mind.

The whole scenario was a life learning, how can a street vendor sitting on a pavement and earning a daily miniscule amount be so much happy. His own slippers that he was wearing were almost battered, his tericot pant and a unwashed pale yellow shirt showed signs of dirt, but internally he was a happy soul, his face always gleaming with a loving smile. A small talk made me aware of his precedents…as he told me that he comes in a humble Atlas -black cycle which he paddles for about 10 kms daily before he comes to our vicinity to make a living – before that he goes to the wholesale mart to buy slippers on wholesale prices.

I could not resist saying ‘Hello Bhaiya’ and could not stop myself to buy an unwanted pair of sleepers, not that I was in dire need of one, but just for the sake of remembrance of that life learning moment. He taught me the mantra of life… Be whatever be your predicament, be happy and live each moment…

I didn’t ask his name as he had other customers lined up and I certainly didn’t want myself to impede his sales, may be next Saturday flea market, I shall be honoured to have a general chit-chat with him, till then I am selfishly waiting for that moment….

~ Chai - as my last supper...~

It has given me an adrenaline rush when I am down, the zest of life gets diminished through everyday rigmarole of life – having a cup of tea makes me start over again – It has been my best friend over three decades, the only ‘Bad’ habit one would say that I have, but I just cant leave it…as I would certainly like to have the last tea cuppa before I depart….

Be it late evening or early morning saga, not having a cup of tea as my noble companion does give me the push to perform – the lethargy gets encrypted till I gulp my first sip of tea after the wake-up.

I wake up daily and embrace my morning partner – a cup of tea which gives me life to move on and accept the challenges of the day.

Come afternoon, again I have a rendezvous with my best friend and foe, foe- as it has become a queer habit, I miss the tea cup when aloof and it certainly gets me back during the snooze hours of summers now a days – Of course, with a long lasting relationship that I have had with this unique beverage, I also have found close fondness to various cups which I like to have my ‘Drink’ .

Of late, I have been addicted to ‘Kuhlad Chai’, as it gives a certain degree of fragrance when you sip it slowly – the whole aroma is filled with its magnificence – no doubt, it takes time to fall in love with such a habit, more so as we are mostly accustomed to having tea / coffee in regular ceramic cups.

The taste of tea magnifies if you have a good company – the sip by sip conversations leads you to a sense of peace and tranquility – the exchange of thoughts gets inversely proportional to the diminishing tea in your cup- though a sense of poignant charm surrounds you and you would certainly like to have another back to back cup but the lethargy in you wont make you get up and go to the kitchen to action another cup on the burner!

My relationship with Tea is since time immemorial – thanks to my father who was a complete ‘Tea-totaller’ – and thus was fond of this magnificent drink of his lifetime – the habit galvanized unto me and during my study years, I used to have a pot filled to the brim and with each passing hour, would pour it in the cup and gulp it , matching the timeless hours just passed by…. Those certainly were the times of Delhi’s foggy winters - today as I again had the privilege of having this unique drink in an earthen cup – called ‘Kulhad’ – I went into a reminiscing trance… those days came as a flash and time certainly stood still… I wish, to the last day of my breath , I would like to have ‘Tea’ as my last supper… till then, its again time to have a nice sip…the smoky cup is enticingly calling me to kiss it and enjoy the tea-moment….

~Kaveri, a lone warrior...~

 Everyone was talking in vernacular English with exceptional drawls with a view to dominate the conversation – the parents were well off and of course they were educated, maybe they were lucky to have received quality education from prestigious schools in Delhi. A bit showoff was evident though not a deliberate gesture.

As I was a mute observer to all of this charisma, suddenly there comes a family which catches everyone’s eyeballs – the family is unique in its own way – as the society calls them the ‘EWS’ or the ‘Economically Weaker Section – the tagline is munching of its dignity but we as a society have castigated them. 

From the visible appearance the parents of the girl seems to be not highly educated and this was proven when the father asks the guard sitting near the aisle “ Kapde and Kitabein Kahan Milengi?” (from where will we get clothes and books?), the guard showed them the way sitting on his chair. The gesture of the guard was profoundly different as he seems to be entertaining them as just another like him – as he did not stand from his chair whilst he answered them, a distinct gesture which he didn’t do for other ‘highly educated and rich parents’ of kids coming to school to fetch books and clothes.

While the parents continued to talk in marvel English with occasional tongue roller verbatim, this girl’s father just stood in complete silence as he was bluntly ignored by others – I could see the cold feet the society showed to such people – distraught on the behavior of these educated parents as for them it didn’t matter who he was and that they knew him for sure to be from an EWS strata of society.

Suddenly the twist of tale happened, as the father was confused to ask for the free books and clothes which such parents are supposed to have under government’s concessional scheme, the girl rose to the occasion and went inside the school bookshop and started to talk in a tone which astonished many.

She started to converse in impeccable English in a clear-cut vocab to the surprise of everyone – her contrast clothing and the background seems to be just not matching the tone she spoke of. As some moments passed, her mother came into the room and voiced her concerns thus - “Kaveri beta, dress aur Kitabein mil gayi kya?” [ Kaveri, did you got the dress and books?]

She was quick to respond, ‘Nahi Ma, abhi nahi, bola hai bhaiya ko” [No , I have told the shopkeeper, he is taking it out]

Everyone started to have a conscious look towards both mother and daughter as if something extraordinaire had happened in that moment, surely it was something extra ordinary, something momentous – the icy silence was broken when one student’s mother greeted Kaveri’s mother “Namaste!, meri beti aapki beti ki dost hai…” [Hello, my daughter is your daughter’s classmate], suddenly this gesture made Kaveri’s mother comfortable as she forgot her opaque personality amongst the group of parents standing there…. The two ladies started to converse with equanimity withstanding the prodding eyes of ‘high-class’ parents who still seems to be from a different planet, but surely, they were in the receiving end as they were made conscious of what education can do to anyone be it from EWS family or otherwise…

A lovely lesson was given to many such parents and to my kids – that be whatever you are in the outside world, in the institution of schooling , your worth is your pure play knowledge and education – as it certainly is the power which will take you across many hiccups life shall offer you in due course – your image and dignity will not subside by your current habitat but the power of your mind shall base your competition with resourceful students who surely have an edge over you – don’t be subservient of their status, once inside the school you will have the power to subside them by your knowledge…I truly believe that little girl had been given this life lesson by her circumstances if not by  parents… truly Kaveri was the hero of that moment, no doubt!

~ Apostle of Simplicity…~

Simplicity has its own power and it truly gives the inner feeling of contentment, In the daily chase of life, when one gets tired under the burden of running around to make ends meet, it is the feeling of let go which makes life simple. Sitting in that moment of solitude I could sense the simple things life had to offer when we were young, there were no big dreams and life’s happiness lay in simple gifts.

Even a Rs 20 haircut was a big happiness moment, I did visit this moment of contentment when I saw that decades old decrepit hair dressing salon open after a long time – passing by, I peeped inside the curtains, as the saloon is a makeshift shanty now and does not have a proper door to save its belongings. Once Inside, I was lost to altogether to another world – a time which I had lived almost two decades back, same old chairs, the rusty look and aura of that place – I was transported back to an era where there was no internet and no mobile phones – Cable Tv was an advent for youth like us – we were surpassing the era of Doordarshan. 

One thing had surely changed – Krishna- that old friend of mine who has been doing hair-cutting since times immemorial. His salt and pepper look was a testimony of time to be carefully looked – for his life and him, time had just stopped in the 90’s. He wore the same style clothes, no dawn of jeans or Tees , but only simple terrycot fabric Shirt and pants, time actually had stood still. I had seen him after a long time and could interpret the Gap between two era’s. His calculated smile and the simplicity of his life and living was so presentable that I could feel the difference in that bygone era.

The best thing about this meeting was ‘Instant recognition’. He even remembered my name and addressed me on the first go – it was a testament of sharpness of his memory – nothing he had forgotten, those talks about cable TV and new movies to be released on Friday – we both started to cherish those eventful days which we had live in our youth – to the merriment of other customers who were in the midst of their shave – I could sense they were living the moment too as their conscious looks could tell.

Soon the talk steered to families and kids – he had gone to his native village for long and had come back just few months back to resume his ‘Business’ – Krishna didn’t want to come back from his place of birth but circumstances just didn’t allow him to settle down midst his close ones. As my turn came to go for the haircut, we chatted as thirsty beings as if we wanted to make up for those lost years – Krishna’s originality and humbleness was his forte, he still stands by the same value system of life, no wonder he has his own struggles to follow but the testament of time tells me he is surely a man of honour and simplified dignity.

As time elapsed, my haircut was done, pleasantries exchanged with enthusiasm we bid goodbye to each other not before promising to meet again in a month’s time, subject to my shabby look – which would certainly urge me to visit Krishna not only for a decent haircut but to meet him and learn the most important technique of today’s living – ‘Simplicity!’…

~ En Famille...~

The morning walks are no longer sultry and alone, I find many people with different contours of life. Kids who skip school and oldies that await their death, almost the entire gambit of life comes in front of me. People rushing to office and the unemployed sitting in a surprising calmness – the world is surely a place with all its tipsy topsy curve….

In a aloofness of all this I encountered three kids totally engrossed in their small world they were living in, happy they were ridding a rickshaw being driven by their elder sister ‘Rani’ – They turned out to be a shy but with a cute smile on their faces they somehow broke the silence.

“My name is Kavita and he is my younger brother ‘Sumit’, they laughed in tandem and were again adorned by shyness – I could decipher they are in their own world and would not communicate at ease with anyone who want to form a friendly bond with them. 

The magnitude of their happiness was touching the sky as they had got their father’s rickshaw to drive and play around – jumping around in it and pushing it to the fore was what made them unmindful of the surroundings around them. As I could not resist and wanted to talk to them, they started to drive fast and almost tried to avoid them – adamant that I was, I again asked “Kavita, don’t you guys go to school, now that schools are open in full swing!”.

She smiled at me first and answered in a low pitch tone, “Today, we have taken off as Papa and Mummy had to come to park for mowing overgrown shrubs and there was no one at home to take care of us, We usually go to school regularly.” She started to paddle fast in order to oblige the shout Sumit was making as he wanted to be ridden on  the Rickshaw fast and didn’t like to be stranded.

Sumit seems to be enjoying every moment and was a naughty child as it seems to be, the fact that was proven by his younger sister Kavita – “He is very naughty kid, hardly studies and doesn’t like to go to school, he wants to become a Gardner just like his father!” – I seem to have broken the shackles of silence with Kavita as he seems to talk to me with much less inhibitions now.

All three of them had a slice of innocence on their faces, certainly they were loving the ‘workplace’ of their father and mother – both were contractual gardeners in the Municipal park. The coolness of the shadows of trees were their playground and they were loving the ambience as they smiled and cheered. 

Suddenly their was a loud shout from their mother, as I gathered, the shout was a frantic call for ‘Breakfast’ which was going to be held under a bench placed under a tree – the coolness of air and the serenity would certainly add value and impose a challenge to such ambience across any restaurant in the city – As I walked passed, I realized the joyful nature of life this family was enjoying whilst just looking the other side of the fence, I could see a total chaos of speeding cars and Scooty’s aiming to surpass missing timelines….As they say, life has many pictures, the same held true today....

~ What a Ride...~

There are endless stories on the roads of human grit and endurance – Many of them are silent and live in their hearts and minds, they keep on living a simple and subdued life as if nobody. You need not find them anywhere but they are just besides you, may be as a helper, a rickshaw puller, a garbage collector, sweeper or car washer , just anybody who has compromised his /her life for the sake of his family.

I met such a soul in near past when I had to borrow a service of an eRickshaw – these vehicles are scattered all over Delhi streets and are typically a nuisance to my psyche not because they add to the vehicular density but the way they are driven in a haphazard manner.

As I stood across the street to find one, suddenly an old uncle who was just lazing around across the street on his erickshaw saw in me a prospective customer and came with a question

“Kidhar Jauge?”  - “Where you want to go?”

I told him the proposed destination to which I intended to go, his next question was quick as if he was in a hurry and had not even halved his daily earning target.

“Aajao Baith jao, aapke liye hi aaya hoon!” – “ Please sit, I came for you only!”

I was deeply flattered as that was the truth, the moment I stood up looking for an eRickshaw, uncle had an eye on me and just came within no time.

As the journey started, I saw in him many facades – he was polite and had manners quite unlike many other folks of his genre. The talkative nature that I have, I could not control myself to form a quick rapport with uncle – there was surely something in him that made me pull towards him. 

As our talks progressed, he shared his story about his family . He has two sons, the younger one has left him in lurch and has moved out with his family. Subhash uncle’s elder son passed away in 2017 due to a cardiac arrest – “ Who mere hatho mein hi gir gaya!’ – “He died in my arms’.

He later told me that he retired as Peon from a nationalized bank and was comfortably living with his two sons until his elder son’s death – “He has two daughters and a wife, who stay with us, my younger son and his wife didn’t want to share their burden and so they left us. Now I have started to work again and hire this eRickshaw on a monthly basis and struggle to make ends meet!”

I asked Subhash uncle’s age – he replied with a poignant smile which said many unspoken words. Beta, my age is around 75 years , I just want to thank God for he is still keeping me alive and healthy to cater to my elder son’s family – He has two young school going daughters, I want to see them educated – they go to school and I don’t want them to be illliterate !” 

Hearing his story I was loss of words, I silently revered the honest talk he did with me, but there were some underlying messages to learn – “Life can be unruly and put you in situations you never ever thought of!” and that clinging on to that higher power called ‘God’ , be whatever comes your way is the real test of faith and patience for oneself and finally the most valuable lesson Subhash uncle taught me was “ Never retire, till your last breath and till the time your body allows you to work, just be whatever you do, keep on walking!, you will love your existence!

As I reached my destination, it was more than giving him his due credit of service he had done , for it was not only he had brought me to where I wanted but had uplifted my soul – a deep sense of love and gratitute flowed through me as an adrenaline feeling, I shook hands with him , he gave me a touching surprise when he said “Beta, mera bada beta tumhare jaisa hi tha…tumhein dekh kar tabhi mein ghoom kar tumhare pass aaya to give you a ride…” – “Son , my elder one was just like you…When I saw you standing, I quickly came to give you a ride…” , I just could not handle the situation and kept on seeing him till he just drove off – time just stood still for me…and it still is….

~ That little Girl...~

We are unique brew entwined with a common thread but have different viewpoints of life and its happenings. Situations have made so – every instance has setup an edible mark on our thinking that has lead us to a different behavior.

Lakshmi came to me with a lot of hope, I could see in her eyes – the name bears an oxymoron to her situation – dire needs of funds to have her lunch, she started to talk about herself for a moment.

Though she was in a hurry, she gave me a definite outlook of life she has been living across the road I was travelling. Her small hovel which her parent’s had setup was surely a dilapidated sight – as she had crossed the road all by herself, she was being looked upon out of care by her mother, who was protective of her daughter. 

I started by asking her questions about regarding her name and whereabouts, where she belonged from and that does she study – at first, she was reluctant to chat but suddenly she started to speak though with not so much of a frank gesture – something surely was holding her back – may be situations in her life made her behave the way she was. I kept to myself and gave her some money – she gleamed for a second or so and quickly started to talk, as if she was in a hurry state of mind.

‘Bhaiya, my name is Lakshmi and I stay in that shanty (Pointing towards her temporary house across the road.)’

‘My father is no more and I stay with my mother, who toils hard throughout the day as she is a housemaid and goes to several homes to cook and wash dishes.’

‘I take care of the household and also study a little bit.’ Whenever time allows – she further stated she is in 7^th grade and likes math’s as a subject.

The last line was truly intriguing for me as that was only the ray of hope I could suggest to her – seeing her life’s turmoil, I could sincerely put her upfront to a path which she wants to travel and has kept deep inside her heart.

As I could perceive that Lakshmi was in a hurry, she went back as fast as she had arrived, it was time to cook for the family, may be, as I guessed when she quickly went into her hovel, not before handling her day’s ‘earnings’ – I was pretty sure she didn’t want to beg as I could see in her eyes the shame associated with this profession – for a girl who is nurturing big in life, this was actually a menial job devastating her ego – but her mother thought otherwise and forced her to act.

Million such Lakshmi’s exist around us, we don’t pay a heed to them as they are just invisible beings, just as regular as anyone can be in this vast sea of heads that we all see every now and then. As I moved on, I sincerely hoped that next time I meet her, she is a better-off situation that she is today and when I see in her eyes, she should fee all the pride she has lost whilst she lives today….

~ A Decade Meet...~

I met him after almost two decades today, as he kept looking at me whilst my morning stroll, we both surpassed each other with an eyeball-to-eyeball contact – both were feeling a little inhibited to say a formal “Hello”, though I was pretty sure he recognized me as well on the very first glance he put on me.

I still don’t know his name though he used to stay right across the street and his only son ‘Goldy’ was a toddler at that time – as neighbors , I used to  to exchange a formal ‘Namaste’ when I was young and he used to go to a office and after his retirement, he vacated his govt flat to relocate to  a private residency years passed and they turned into decades, then suddenly, one day I could see him, walking firmly with a stick – years had taken a toll on his health and I could sense that quite clearly.

Today, when we saw each other, we could instantaneously recognize each other but the gap of quite many years made us fall apart – the inhibition certainly had crept in. On the second round, uncle said a “Hello” and that was it, the quietness had to be broken and he inquired my name as he had remembered

“Are you Sanjeev Beta”, who used to stay across the street and play with my son “Goldy!”

I immediately affirmed, “Yes Uncle, I am Goldy’s friend, and I recognized you on the very first round but was feeling a little shy to start a conversation with you.!”, he laughed and enquired about my family and parents – his gesture was heart touching as he talked about those golden times that we shared – especially his reprimands when we used to go and call his son for a game of cricket – that time was for his tuition and he used to bunk that all important math’s tuition class and set tone with us, only to be caught red handed and thrashed!

He remembered all this naughtiness of our times as we were growing towards our adolescence. I inquired about his son “Goldy” as we used to call him, that was his nick name. He with numbness in his eyes reverted that he is in London and is working there as a chef, here I am along with my wife.

I told him to go and get settled for greener pastures, We can take care of ourselves till our health allows – though materially uncle was comfortable but seeing his son’s aspiration, he with a heavy heart had made up his mind and come to terms with his situation. 

I could well sense that he was not in his best of the health as he had severe medical condition pertaining to his legs but as a father, he wanted his son to achieve a milestone which many of our parents had thought of – his inner desire being suppressed – though his advancing age was a clear sign of fragility – surely as we walked he needed support to step down into the grassy field from the ailse of the pavement, but the man’s grit was exemplary –“ Son, this body will wither away as it is deemed to be , at 73 years of age, I have lived my life to the fullest, now I want my son to live his life as per his aspirations….”

A beautiful thought , but I wish his son could have done much better to be with his ailing father at the prime of his life, relationships are just as beautiful as they are close by, the fag end of their life will always be remembered as beautiful moments spend together, always to be cherished for rest of your life…

~ Quitting the Pinnacle...~

So how many of us have the zeal and the guts to quit at the pinnacle of our careers – I am sure not many, I might not be wrong if I say that none amongst us can take this humungous decision to call it quits for the entire fraternity of fans and family to keep guessing what made him / her take this important decision of life.

Just the other day, I was having a conversation with a friend who seem to be quite clear on the time when he wants to call it a day – many of us have no idea or are confused as to when to quit, though at 60 we would be politely asked to retire 😊. “The grace is to quit at your own will and that too when you are at the peak of your career – let the gentry be perplexed with volley of questions for your decision.

My friend has become financially stable – as per his metaphor of ‘Success’ –  A man should know what is the best time to quit, just like the recent news of tennis sensation Ash Barty quitting Tennis at the age of 25 stupefied the world – how can she do it, she still has 10-15 sporting years in front of her, commented many.

At the peak of her tennis prowess, the world no.1 and a sparkling new talent just called it a day. She is also the reigning Wimbledon Champion, known as the Mecca of Tennis for the sport aspirant, also she holds the title of Australian Open – both remarkable titles which one can be jealous of – all this at the age of 25! , with zillion tennis fans, she is the current heartthrob of many youngsters –

She has phenomenally made a statement on the tennis circuit at such a young age but now has confused many lovable fans of her early retirement, but only from Tennis and not otherwise – she certainly has other plans – as most of us don’t have post our retirement, many would tend to sit idle awaiting that final moment called ‘Death’.

There is certainly an underlying message in such a stance – first that she is content with her accomplishments and that she does not want to go beyond what she has achieved and secondly, she is a true loyalist to the game which has given her so much. When asked Ash, ‘What was the main reason for you quitting at the height of your career” - her answer was quite in a simple tone – “I think, I have achieved what I had dreamt for and further to this, I will not be able to justify the game anymore! “, the honest acceptance as an explanation of such an act is hardly a practice nowadays.

Many of us would like to redeem the benefits of position we have achieved till perpetuity and even more, most of us have no plans to start from the scratch and our job profiles are our true identity if not more.

Sans our job roles, ask yourself what you can accomplish single handedly and the answer would be not surprising, as you know it to your inner self.

As the Barty Party gets over, there are obvious questions which would be asked by many of sport inquisitive fans – the quest is obvious as this has never been the case, as it is obvious, when a sportsman reaches its ripe age and enters into non-performance mode due to his age and body fragility, he/she plans to quit but accolades follow as per the expected lines – some would say, it had to happen while others would voice their concern as “It is a late decision, he/she would have quit earlier with grace!”

Ash Barty has open a Pandora's box by quitting at the pinnacle of her success – in corporate world, many wont even think of taking this step as the uncertainties of financial instability would haunt us –. Comparing it with corporate world, I haven’t seen a single sports maverick doing this and probably wont be seeing it quite often… after all reaching at the pinnacle of life was our only aim – not knowing that this would be taken away anytime soon, be it your willing or no, till then Enjoy your dream…

Smile, It Costs Nothing…

Have you ever thought what a cost of smile could be – think and you may get an answer which was loitering around you but you were least observant to it.

Consider this, what happens when a doctor smilingly tells a severely accidental patient that you will be alright – the aftereffect of that saying is enormous on the psyche of the patient – his morale boosts up manifold and he sees a sense of living again. The same is true when a terminally ill patient is being caressed by his physician and told (with a ear to ear smile) that he shall be ok in few days – the zeal for life just returns – that is the cost of smile one gets when one is conversed with.

There could be a situation that you have done worst in your office and is ready for a reprimand or even have attracted the ire of bosses but suddenly you see your super boss entering the room and smilingly calms you down and says “ No worries, it happens…We all will fix it as a team!” – how your day would be, the handling of situation with a grit of smile changes thing drastically.

Also, going back in time, you did your best to study and perform for that mathematics , physics or Chemistry exam which you knew was a horrendous task to accomplish, your worst fears came true and you did not do well in your exams – facing reprimand, you came home expecting brickbats from parents but suddenly they comfort you with a smile “ This is not the end of life…Work hard and you can achieve great things in life..!” – hearing upon these magical words, a adrenaline rush gets you going and your mood refreshes with the lost zeal which sometime back was seeking a dead end.

Smile can make relationships work – your wife has prepared a new recipe out of desire to have something different on the dinning table, knowingly fully well that the dish is not sounding too sumptuous to have, you smile and taste the dish with same fervor and give a fantastic feedback – the wonder you were expecting suddenly happens, your smile has set the tone for that moment, and you have surely saved the event as a big time memory of your life!

God has given many emotions to humans, laughing and crying is traceable  to all as they seem to be too visible – therein lies their magic – A smiling face is acceptable to all as it does wonders to a given situation. Smile at a stranger and you will surely receive back a smile – you might not be knowing him or her, but the cascading effect always happens…. That is the truth of this emotive gesture of all of us – the only one mistake  we do during the day is that we just don’t “Smile” – ponder over this thought “ How many times you have smiled today? And on what situations?”

As the famous saying goes… “A smile is happiness you’ll find right under your nose.”, so next time keep this idiom in mind and just smile…

~ Father Son Duo...~

 His smile wins heart, the father son duo make a formidable businessman, not haggling for even a rupee, they are astute as the afternoon son – blistering and for a purpose.

My recent excursion to a famous Shiv temple made me meet people with varied colors and creed, many of whom have shanty shops just outside the place of worship, for they know that the footfall of devotees would make them bring customers – the scorching heat is another key factor for them to stash bottles of water and many soft drinks. 

Not to forget the ample sachets of betelnuts and raw tobacco – ask them as to why have they kept in close visibility of the customer, the father is quick to respond “Sir, it is a most saleable item!” – In this part of India – and here I am mentioning Gujrat , “most people, including females have addiction to chewing tobacco!, it brings good business.”  

He was slate clean in his remarks as being a business he was – Gujrati people are known for their precision business acumen and insights, you cannot haggle much for what they have priced is the benchmark of the goods they are bound to sell.

“Ramprakash” and “Govinda” were their names, the father was dressed in his pristine local medley of traditional dress Gujrati rural folk wear – though his son Govinda was dressed as if to mingle in the crowd of devotees who had throng the famous shiv temple to pay obeisance  to the Lord.

As I conversed with them – “How long have you been running this shop?”, the answer was quick ( but with a Colgate smile) “ Sir its has been almost thirty years!” – “Quite a long time,”, I said.

“Yes, sir, very long time” , he affirmed.

“So what does Govinda do? Does he study or he sits with your and wants to run this shop and become a businessman, as trademark for many Gujrati families!”

“Sir, he studies in class eight in a local school, but he is not interested in studies and want to be Dhirubhai Ambani!”, he boasted as a mark of respect for India’s largest private conglomerate business house which he set from scratch.

“Yes, I know may Gujrati’s adore his ambition and I haven’t seen many of you guys working on a salary. Even if you start with a small shop or a shack, for you respect of being self employed is much more than working for others!” – as I spoke this words, Ramprakash’s chest was swollen with pride and he quickly affirmed my sayings, standing just next to me was his son Govinda, who also felt a sense of greatness and pride as I could see smile on his face and a bright sparkle in his eyes as if raring to go to conquer the world.” 

As my visit was almost nearing its end, I requested for a pic to be published on this platform, they both readily agreed and also told me to WhatsApp the link – today they will surely be happy lot to see their clicked picture on the internet – I know they cant read English but they would certainly be beaming with pride to see themselves footprinted on the world of internet – not to forget, they told me that they would tell their fellow shopkeepers to have achieved this feat …. This small gesture would give them immense popularity amongst their peers….

As I said a final goodbye…there faces light up in all smiles… taking their whatsapp numbers, they now eagerly await their photos to be published in the virtual world of internet….