Four stories and the priceless takings

Recently I met with four people. They gave me insights on things I never cared to give a glance at. But there are true learnings waiting for me.

The four people from four different walks of life. One is a software engineer, one is from Indian Navy, another working in an orphanage and last person is a plastic article vendor.

Each one is unique in terms of their background, their aspirations, their priorities in their lives and their attitude towards life. I had enough time to interact with all these people individually, to get good insights. The platform for all these meetings is a car-driving school. All came (including me) for one goal, to get a four wheeler license!! Let me tell you about these people before going to my insights. This may stretch the lines of this post a longer, pls bear with me till then.

Software Engineer:

This guy is at very comfort zone. Good job, bulky wallet, went couple of times for on site assignments, married and well settled. Man from stone age never satisfied with what he has. So as this guy. (Incl me, but few are exceptions). From day one, I were discussing with him about how he is working, how much he earned during on site assignments, about his esops, projects he had handled and other things related to his job. He is some kind of confident and displayed "knows all" attitude. He is in some kind of thinking like what life can give him back as though he has given out all his best.

The Indian Navy Personnel:

This person is basically from Kerala. He is in thirteenth year of service at present. I think this is quite an achievement by itself, given the fact the kind of jobs and the packages comes with them, now a days in the market. He has his family in Kerala. Once a while he goes to his native. Half of the time, he mixes Mallu (Malayalam) with English while speaking. Had bit of hard time in understanding him. This person is working in Indian Navy. I had poor knowledge to differentiate between people working in navy , cargo and passenger line, until he enlightened me. He also some kind of not satisfied, and some kind of complaining about how his companions being payed handsomely in Cargo and in passenger ships and about his poor paying. He also did similar complains and blabbered about his job. For the first time I understood why Navy exercises are executed between the countries. His aspiration to get early retirement (15 years) and look for a good job outside to take care of his family for rest of his life.

The Plastic Vendor:

Couple of times, I saw this person bribing the trainer which irritated me. Once I caught him after the training, asked him why he is bribing, though he paid 2k rupees for the training. He answered that by bribing, he could get special attention. I condemned him saying that is not necessary and explained him that he can always demand from the trainer. This stuck this 44 year old (Age defies him, in this situation). Next day, I asked him why he want to go for a license. He wants to drive auto-rickshaws or taxis for his daily bread. He also told how he lost his money in all the small businesses he had done thru the years and landed up this way. He declared the amount he is spending (2k) for license, is huge for him to bear (This made me think how carelessly we spend money without knowing its true value). I can observe from his speech, how much financial adversity he had gone thru. He calls me as "Sir", to my embarrassment, as I am at least 20 years younger to him!! So ignorant, so unexcited. Life looks burden for him.


The "Orphanage" Teenager:

This person's story really moved me. He is used to be very punctual in trainings. One day, casually I asked him where he is working? He said he is working in Indian Railways. "Huh?" was my initial reaction. He looks like "just entered" college student. Asked him, what he is actually doing? He explained which I took good amount of time to re-ask and to understand. His actual work is to find children working in railway platforms, trains and stations. He tracks them, keep records on them and report them to his supervisors. He used to find children who are orphaned and handover them to their parents if their correct whereabouts are found or hand over them to a children orphanage nearby. Worst thing is, he informed me that if he finds the orphan child's parents, he or the orphanage people have to convince some of the parents to take their children back. I asked him, if he has given any designation to the job he is doing, just to find out he is really employed in Indian Railways. To my surprise, he never understood what I am trying to ask. He studied up to 9th std and after that he discontinued to take this job. I asked him why he haven't continued, for that he replied that he is not interested. I was thinking that his parents were responsible and asked him where he is put up with, for which he replied that shook me. He was brought up in the same orphanage for which he is working now. When he was telling this, I could see the pain not having some body to take care of, in his eyes. For the first time in my life, I understood that my so called problems are nothing before him. He is trying to get license as he wants to go to Dubai ( for applying passport, he needs proof. So this driving license will get him to get that). He is paying the training amount in installments.


India is certainly, a land of contrasts. There are people who never understand what starving is and there are people who have to fight for the same starving throughout their lives. Most of us, in comfort zone, never knew the real value of money and spend unnecessarily on extra foods, flashy clothes, films et all. The fraction of the amount spent on this can feed many families in our country.

We always compare ourselves with our peers. If we are not up to the mark with our peers, we complain (I am very good complainer. Ask some of my friends, they will tell you big stories) that we didn't have this, that et others. The software engineer always pours his lament on how his company not giving hikes, appraisals and other things. Though he is very much in comfort zone, he still laments. If he gets something, the lamenting won't stop, but it will take into some other shape. (My personal experience too).

The shrewd Keralite spent most of his youth to the services of Nation. And also he has his own expectations and lamenting. Though, much I didn't get from him, but he displayed courage and positive attitude towards his coming days.

Ignorance is bliss, says many. But this plastic vendor's ignorance may not be so. I understood life is unfair game. What made this person as he is now - ignorant, oblivious to the fact to the extent the external world is changing..... But this person is driven by one thing - his family.

The orphaned teenager really made me to realize two things. First, none of our problems are nothing if we face it. Second, I am very fortunate of not having to go thru the ordeal as he is going thru.

I am no more complainer from now on. :-)