Love What You Do On New Year’s day, I learnt a few fresh lessons. I was waiting anxiously to get the morning newspaper only to realise that all the newspaper hawkers were delayed that day. Eventually I saw a number of boys cycling down the lane, all carrying loads of newspapers. I could see a freshness on the faces of these young lads. They were all focused on the job at hand and were in a hurry to finish their work. Eventually, one of the cyclists turned towards me and parked his cycle. I went ahead to greet him with New Year wishes and collect the newspaper. I observed that the hawker was actually dancing while delivering the newspaper. This dance was not for no reason; the young boy had earphones plugged into his cellphone — he was obviously gyrating to the music he was listening to. Motioning to him to put the music off for a while, I went ahead and asked him a few questions. AV: Looks like you are very happy with the arrival of the New Year. Hawker: Yes, I am happy, but this has nothing to do with the New Year. We people do not go for parties. When the world is crying over the Delhi incident — the Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case — we should not party in any case. AV: Then what makes you so happy? Hawker: I am like this only, sahab. Every morning when I get up, I feel happy that I have this work to do. AV: How long have you been distributing newspapers? Hawker: It is now more than five years. This is my part-time job; I work fulltime as a peon. AV: What do you enjoy more — the work of a peon or that of a hawker? Hawker: Sir, I enjoy both. I never do anything which I do not like. AV: Isn’t it risky to listen to music while cycling? Hawker: Music is my passion. Sir, I love music. This gives me energy and enthusiasm to complete my work. My heart is in my work and music fuels my efficiency. AV: But multitasking can lead to errors. Hawker: Actually music and dance improve my concentration. In all these years, I have never delivered a wrong newspaper. At least I never got any complaint from any household! Bye sir, I have much work to do and I am getting late. This brief conversation with this newspaper guy left me thinking: This lad was so socially aware; he did not celebrate the New Year on account of the heinous crime committed by a group of boys on a vulnerable woman. He did not care for the fact that it was the New Year — dates meant little for he saw each day as unique and precious. Real happiness comes from within and it is not associated with any external activity or behaviour. One should try to be happy always, even for no reason. Real happiness is a state of mind and not a function of the environment! The young chap does two jobs; this itself reveals the energy and entrepreneurial spirit he has. Those of us who cry over bad days and lack of money could learn a lesson from this young hawker. It is up to us to make the most of our time and resources and benefit from the opportunities available to us. Sitting back and brooding will not add riches to our life; we need to come out and get going. I also learnt about passion and perfection from this brief encounter. The lad never ventured into a job that he did not like. Loving what you do and doing what you love is the key to happiness.
Posted on: Thu, 27 Jun 2013 03:30:58 +0000
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