Gautam- Hello Kanishka, Gautam here, How are you?
Kanishka- Hi Gautam, pulling on somehow. What about you?
G- Me too, pulling on. Tired off over work, tension in office, sugar-pressure..
K- Same, same this side also. You know how an Executive Director of a private company lives life. Meetings, seminar, fairs, target achievement, labour problem, Union problem, very hard time.
G- Yes friend, now both of us are Executive Directors. We are EDs, that’s what I wanted to be in college life and have achieved. But…
K- But what?
G- But, last week suddenly I learnt a lesson. Now, I am thinking what I achieved actually!
K- What happened? Anything wrong? Our school, college, higher studies, joining in job, promotions everything was good enough. We have shown our capability in job. Now crossed fifty-five years of age, became ED in big company, lucrative salary, luxurious facilities, well settled family what else does some one expect from life?
G- You are correct. I also thought so. But can you remember our classmate Khagen.
K- Khagen! That non-important fellow of our class. Where did you meet him? He passed in 2nd division in high school, I remember.
G- Yes, later he completed his graduation and now working as a clerk in a school.
K- Not teacher?
G- No, not teacher. But the lesson he taught me is more than that of a professor. After that I have been thinking about how much successful I am in my life. That’s why I rang you up.
K – What happened? Please explain.
G- Last week I went to meet civil SDO for some office job. In that office, I met Khagen. He was there for some of his school clerical matter. I saw him after almost twenty years. He could recognize me, me too. Our job was over almost same time.
K- In same office?
G- No, our job was different, table was different, but we came out and met near gate. He called me, ‘Gautam…!’ I told, ‘Is not it Khagen?’ After a brief introduction he called me at his home.
K- You went there?
G- Actually, I did not want to, but his calling was so hearty that I could not refuse.
K- Then?
G- His house is not far away. We reached there by my car. His house is a conventional pattern house with a small garden in its front. Brick made house with two bed rooms, kitchen, tin roof etc.
K- Poor guy.
G- Yes poor, if compared with ours. But he is happy with it.
K- Whom did you meet there? What about his family?
G- Khagen, his half old wife, son doing his master degree, married daughter with one kid, staying there for few days.
K- Oh, common middle class family.
G- Yes, but as we entered house, his wife came and took the bag from his hand. Then after a brief introduction with me, Khagen and I sat in their drawing room. First, his daughter came forward and touched my feet; next his son came forward and touched my feet.
K- The so called typical Indian culture.
G- Then, his daughter went inside and brought a glass of water for Khagen and asked me ‘ Uncle, would you like to have a glass of water?’ With my yes node, she brought one glass for me also. I understood one thing that it is a regular practice. When Khagen returns from work, his wife attends him, takes his bag and either wife or daughter or son brings a glass of water for him.
K- So what?
G- Actually, like Khagen, I also have wife, a son and a daughter with grand-son too. But, when I come back home, I don’t find any one.
K- It’s because they are staying far away from you. They are in foreign. Your son is in UK and daughter is in USA.
G- No Kaniska. If they had been at home also, I don’t think they would have done it. Bringing a glass of water is not a big thing but the love and respect mixed with it, is a thing which matters. Most of the time when I return from work, I find my wife is absent at home. She is busy with her NGO or fashion show or Kitty party etc but not my nearby.
K- Why are you getting emotional for that? Ours is an urban life. We are more responsible persons. We are boss of so many co-workers.
G- From one angle you are correct. But, from other angle it is not correct. You see, what we expect from our life? We want peace, we want wealth and we want pleasure. Is it in lieu of losing more than that? We have enough money, but it is for whom? My son and daughter are earning. They have enough money. My money is almost useless in my life. All pleasure or all respect is limited to the staff and workers of the company. Nobody knows us after that.
K- That is for all well placed persons in this world.
G- After seeing Khagen, I started thinking in a different way. Why I am running? Where is the end of my race behind success? We started our life thinking elephant is the biggest creature and ant is the smallest one. Khagen ended up there. But, we went beyond that, we thought of dinosaur, bigger than elephant. We found out that viruses, bacteria are smaller than ants. We thought of atom, ion and electron smaller, smaller and smaller and not yet ended. In searching those we lost peace of mind; but Khagen is happy with ant being smallest. He is staying happily with that much knowledge.
K- Ohmm..
G- I scored well in school and college exams. I studied more for good job, succeeded. Then for better job, succeeded. Then for promotion, succeeded, then for more promotion, again succeeded. Target after target and promotion after promotions. I could not find time to look after my wife, my son or daughter. They have also chosen their life in their way. They also succeeded in their life. Like me they are also running behind target, then running for next target. They have forgotten their father; there is neither any strong bond or attraction, nor any emotional connection. Only a bio-logical father-son-daughter relation. Some court papers for next-of-kin. In fact we are unknown adults in this wonderful world.
K- Hmm. My case is almost same as yours.
G- That day when I came back home from Khagen’s house, I found that Khagen is much wealthier than me. He got everything in his life for which we are running for years after years. During my departure, when Khagen’s son told me, ‘Bye uncle, please visit again-‘ I felt pity on me. Because there is nobody in my life who will tell me to visit again. I found that Khagen knew how much to run, where to stop.
K- I think I understand what you want to say.
G- When I came back to my bungalow, the maid-servant opened the gate; I wished it could have been my wife who opens the door with a smile.
K- Bah
G- When I sat on chair, the house-maid asked, ‘Sir, tea or coffee?’ . I eagerly wanted that it could have been my daughter brings me a glass of water. My son could have been nearby.
K- Yes, of course-
G – All of us ran, ran and ran and moved far, far and far away not knowing where is the goal.
K- Yes, Gautam, your words made me think. I am feeling like a poor man in comparison with Khagen.
G- Yes Kaniska, he is much richer. He is living a good life.
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