Dreams of flying

Mr Hirubhai patel is on a trip to India for two weeks for his nephew’s marriage. He is a renowned businessman in USA and a symbol of success in his native village Dandi, a small coastal village in a district of Navsari in Gujarat state. Almost sixty years ago Mahatma Gandhi performed Salt March to the same village and liberated poor Indians from unfair salt tax imposed by British rule in colonial India. After sixty years of Dandi March, Many youths of Dandi see USA as a land of opportunity which will liberate them from the spoils of middle class life. And Hirubhai, of course, is their role model. One of such fans of Hirubhai is Gopal, a skilled barber of this village.

Gopal has a shop in a main market of Dandi on the coast of Arabian Sea where he works with his younger brother Raju. Gopal is a master of hair art. While doing his work he gets engrossed fully and his involvement is no less than a sculptor making his master piece. Two months back at the time of Holi, one NRI visited Gopal’s shop and appreciated his work highly. He told Gopal that there is a dire need of talented people like him in USA and normally people pay 15 to 20$ per haircut. If he comes to USA he will rock!!! That was a day and Gopal became adamant to go to USA at any cost, by hooks or crooks. Raju who is not ambitious like him always try to convince his elder brother to leave the idea of going to USA and Gopal always counter argues “What are we getting here? Silly 20 Rs per hair cut? Do you know how much is 20$? 900 Rs OR our combine earnings if we work for 3 days. I’ll go to USA and make my future!!!”

Hirubhai is here at his shop today for hair cut and face massage. Upon his arrival his face got enlightened and he quickly gave him a sheet ignoring all others in a queue. Gopal starts hair cut and at the same time starts conversation with Hirubhai..

“So your newphew is getting married tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah”

“How is preparation going on?”

“Everything is almost done. Actually there are many people to take care of arrangements and I don’t pay much attention. I want to take rest during this time because after going back to US life would be busy as usual”

“Ohh okay”, “ Sir, I’ve heard that you’ve a huge motel in Chicago”

“Yeah that’s true”

“So lot of people come to motel for stay right?”

“Yes”

“Also I’ve heard that people pay almost 20$ for hair cut in US, is that true?”

“Correct, in USA there is a scarcity of labor work force due to which prices of labor work are high, it’s not like india where you find ample amount of people to do this work”

“Hmmm.. Sir I’ve one very good idea. If there is some barber shop just outside your motel and barber doesn’t charge much and still gives quality service don’t you think people will prefer going there?”

“Why not?” “People will surely go there”

“Okay then if you are ready then I can come there and start my work, I would pay you a rent of your space just outside your motel.”

“But….”

“I would give some percentage from my earning as you are doing a favor to me by giving me a good location where I can get good business”, Gopal is not at all in a mood to lose this golden opportunity.

“Your idea is really good but how would you come to USA? Do you know you need something called “visa”?”

“Yes sir I know that I need visa to come to USA and I would get it”

“But how?? American Consulate doesn’t give visa to everyone who goes there and stands in a queue”

“Sir...” chuckling quietly with a proud of having in depth knowledge of visa rules and regulations, Gopal says “Actually American government is giving visa to skilled workers and this year they have extended the visa limit, so I am sure I would get visa and that visa is called h1-B !!!”

“Gopal, I know about h1-B but you are not eligible for that”

“Why? Do you have any doubt on my skill? If Munna goes there to take visa (Munna is another barber is same village and he is not very skillful and gets very few customers), he will surely get rejection but that wouldn’t happen to me”

“I don’t have any doubt on your skill but that visa is for highly educated people. That’s what they mean by “skilled worker””, chortling softly on innocent arguments of Gopal.

“But sir I am sure there should be some other category of visa for uneducated but still highly skilled workers!!!”

“Okay I’ll see if we can work out something”, Hirubhai neither wants to disappoint him nor he has time to argue with him.

Hirubhai’s assurance has made him immersed into the world of his dreams. The dreams of flying high in the sky, dreams of almighty dollar and dreams of getting rich. After hair cut when Hirubhai hands over 20 rupees note to him, his eyes see the image of Abraham Lincoln in place of Mahatma Gandhi as 20 Rs appears to be 20$!!! He dreams of his changed dashing look wearing trendy golden Rado wrist watch, Nike shoes and driving swanky Honda City.

He takes Hirubhai’s phone number and again reminds him to do a favor to him. After Hirubhai goes back to USA he keeps on calling Hirubhai in a hope that something positive will definitely happen but in vain. Still he has not lost the hope and every NRI that comes to his shop he serves him kindly and then talks about ways to get the visa of the “land of opportunity”

Gopal dreams of a better future and financially secure life (like any other person). His current job requires arduous work throughout a day. While going to sleep at night he many times complain about intolerable pain in his fingers and knees. He feels himself stuck into that 8X10 room of his shop and wants to get out of it as soon as possible. In fact he has lost lot of money in a pursuit of achieving his dreams, once some fake overseas agent promised him getting US visa and took 1 lakh rupees as processing charges but after handing over money that agent disappeared like footprints in dry send dunes!

Despite all hope shattering events, he hasn’t stopped believing in his dreams yet. At present, when he becomes little free from work he keeps on gazing at vast Arabian sea from the little glass window of his shop and again he indulges into dreams… dreams of getting to the other end of sea… dreams of flying…

Raghu

Smoke is coming out from a small hut which is just behind the Raghuji temple of Mujpura village. (This small village, which is a dwelling for not more than 500 people, is at the heart of charotar region of Gujarat,India) Toralba, Raghu’s wife, is engaged in preparing tiffin for Raghu on a small “Chula” (Chula is a small fireplace used for cooking in which wood or coal is used as a fuel). It’s a dawn time and as usual Raghu is listening to bhajan’s (Prayers) on Radio. This radio is special as he got it as a gift from his brother in law when he got married with Toralba and here came his most favorite bhajan…
“Ekla javana manva, ekla javana, sathi vina,sangi vina, ekla javana…” meaning is “one will have to go alone, without friends, without families!!!”
Raghu, a camel cart driver, is living in a small hut with his four daughters and a beloved wife. Toralba is pregnant in a hope that they would have a son. Raghu belongs to “Bharwad” cast, which is very orthodox and rife with many superstitions and having no son is considered to be an evil’s curse. He couldn’t pursue his studies and started working as a camel cart driver with his uncle at an age of 10 years in an aftermath of his father’s accidental death and subsequent financial woes. Though uneducated, he is a person with courage, having deep faith in god. His best friend and a witness of his all joys and grieves is “Dharam”. No, he is not any human being like Raghu but this is the name of his Camel. Raghu’s father claimed that Dharam’s ancestors belonged to the desert of Arabia and he is one of the best breeds of camels. Raghu earns his livelihood with his camel cart and transferring grass bundles, wood pieces etc. from one place to other are his daily chores. Daily early in the morning he goes out for work and comes back in the evening, he burns midnight oil for the sake of his family. He is very much concerned about the education of all his kids which he remained deprived of due to adverse circumstances.
From past 2-3 days he seems to be very busy and comes late night at home, he has got a very good deal. Actually it’s a summer time and Mr. Shah, a renowned tobacco merchant of the whole district has purchased tobacco from many farmers so now Raghu and few other camel cart drivers have been assigned a task to move the row tobacco from farms to a main godown(i.e.warehouse) in a nearby town. Daily after getting home he calculates how much more money he needs now to transfer his daughters to a private school from government run public school.
Today is the last day of this assignment and he is moving last lot of tobacco from farms to warehouse. He is going to receive a hefty payment today as Mr. Shah has decided to give some bonus amount to all camel cart drivers. While passing through a narrow passage from a farm to a main road, he is dreaming off his daughters studying in a better school, he dreams of giving a better life to his beloved life and their kid who is in her womb. But this joy is not going to last for long as fate has something else in store for him. Suddenly a pain starts in his left part of chest, he thinks it might be a minor problem but gradually the pain is becoming unbearable. He is not sure what to do so he stops the cart and decides to take some rest but it’s becoming harder to tolerate and there is nobody around whom he can ask for help. A silent black out is covering his eyes gradually and he loses his consciousness. After a momentary silence Raghu opens his eyes and he finds himself in a bed. Toralba, his daughters and his uncle are in front of his eyes. By seeing his eyes open, Toralba hugs him with happiness and still Raghu is clueless about what happened to him.
“Where am I and what happened?” asks Raghu.
His uncle replies, “You fainted on a passage and nearby farm workers carried you over here, you are right now in Civil hospital of Nadiad.”
“But what happened to me?” I didn’t have this kind of pain before, is everything okay? Where is Doctor?”, he is eager.
“Doctor has made some tests and it will take 2-3 days to get the report of those tests, don’t worry, everything would be okay” his uncle tries to soothe him.
Raghu is tensed now and doctor asks him to stay in hospital for a week. After 2 days he receives test results. He has been diagnosed with valvular stenosis. He doesn’t know what it means; he doesn’t have any idea about what heart valve is. Doctor explains to him that to cure this he’ll have to undergo a surgery, if it is not done within time then it would prove to be fatal for him.
“But how much would be the cost of surgery”, he asks.
“30,000 rs. Minimum” doctor replies.
“30,000!!!!”, he is shocked. He has never seen that much amount at one time in his life. He is worried more for his family rather than himself and clueless about from where to get money.
His uncle has a suggestion for him and asks Raghu to sell his camel and a cart to get required mullah.
“Should I sell Dharam for my operation? He is not just a pet animal or a means of earning livelihood, he is a companion who remained with me in all my sorrows and joys, how can I sell him? ” Raghu exclaims with tears in his eyes and for the first time in his life he feels helpless and sick against circumstances.
At this point of time, face of life seems very harsh and a person of great fortitude kneels himself against a will of the omnipotent!!! He sells Dharam and a cart to a cart merchant in his village for 27000 Rs.
He is to be operated after 2 weeks. It was risky to keep such a big amount with him so he decides to deposit this money in bank. He didn’t have knowledge of banking so asks his friend where to keep money. His friend suggests him to deposit money in Charotar Co-operative bank which is a largest co-operative corporation in a nearby town Anand. He puts his money in bank and now keeps on counting days.
2 Days are left in Raghu’s operation. Toralba and his youngest daughter are with him. All of a sudden, Ranchhod, Raghu’s fellow camel cart driver rushes into his ward with a newspaper in his hand. He is breathing speedily and his appearance is like a messenger of doom. He shows the headline of newspaper to Raghu: “Charotar co-operative bank scam: all depositors lose their money”. Raghu is expressionless as this news is the last nail in the coffin of his hopes. He fights the last battle to get money from bank but he is dwarf against rich and politically powerful people who are involved in scam.
Death seems imminent and he decides to spend last days of his life at his hut. 3 days after shifting to his hut, on one gloomy afternoon a life bird leaves a mortal body. Raghu’s body is out of his hut and few hours are left of its funeral. Evening colors from a sky are vanishing gradually and a dark shade of night is spreading its dominance. After doing it for a whole day, intensities of tragedic cries of Toralba and her daughters are getting mild against the voices of evening chants from a nearby Raghuji temple. After a while it starts drizzling and it seems gods are regretting for being so much stoic. The Radio is still on and playing the same Bhajan…
“Ekla javana manva, ekla javana, sathi vina,sangi vina, ekla javana…” (“One will have to go alone, without friends, without families!!!”)

Cycle rider

Late 9 pm, Senapati Bapat Road Bus station & I am waiting for a bus to Kothrud. Feeling tired, as usual, more mentally then physically, after solving mind boggling software bugs of directx drivers. Buses in Pune are sick; one can’t say for sure when it will come or whether it will come at all!! Whether it come Or it doesn’t, it makes no difference. If it doesn’t, I have to hire taxi & pay more bucks, if it does although I save money, the 20 minute journey to home would be horrible. So it’s a win-win situation. (Yeah, I am more optimistic than ever before especially after working in Nvidia Corp. for almost 1.5 years & living in a city like Pune).

One hour passed, my hunger is becoming intense & at the same rate my perseverance of waiting is diminishing. Almost made up a mind to hire a taxi and a break in the cloud!!! There comes a diesel horse, PMTS (Pune Municipal Transportation Service) bus. A bus, full of commuters, full of hustle and bustle took away my little relief when I felt it would be really hard to get in!! But I am adamant and ready to face the fierce competition offered by all other commuters who were waiting with me at a bus stop. Turned up my sleeve and started pushing people in but I underestimated my competitors!! One big jerk and they threw me out... I yelled and further tried to get in but no consequences and much awaited hope perished!! Bus left!!! Now I am running behind it, a last try, I may succeed (winners never give up after all) and a voice came from behind “Jaldi se mere pichhe aa jao, hum bas pakad lege” (Come with me & we’ll surely catch a bus). I turned back and saw a cycle rider who is offering me a ride on his bicycle so that we can chase the bus and catch it at next nearby stop. I glanced at him with surprise. About 23 years of age, he seemed to be some labor worker of industrial area of chinchvad (a suburb of pune); I wondered how the hell he would carry 70kg of mass on his bicycle as he wasn’t having a strong physique.

“What?” ,”how would you take me to that bus?”, I exclaimed.

“Well! I would take you there, somehow!!” , he smiled.

“But...this cycle!! Are you sure?..amm..well…”, I am confused.

“Hurry up, don’t ask questions otherwise you wouldn’t reach there”, he gave me enough hope.

“Okay” said I and rode his bicycle and he started chasing bus, I felt helping me to get my bus is a mission for him.

I saw that bus has stopped at next traffic light and that red light is strengthening the hope of both of us and now we are just 5-10 meters away. Yeah!!! We are almost done, now just a matter of few pedals but then suddenly light turned green and bus started going away from us. I yelled again, hope somebody listens but god seems to be stoic today.

“uhhhhhhhh!!!”, a deep sigh and I gave up (I think winners lose sometimes but yeah most of the time they win and I feel this is not the time to win !! ;) )

“What happened? Come again” Now we should surely catch it at next traffic light” I think he is more optimistic than me. I know that we are not going to get it but I am really impressed with his attitude so I rode the cycle again and again he tried with more effort, but in vain!! We are at next stop and still away from bus.

He is exhausted and breathing rapidly after pulling me for almost 3 km, but still I can see a smile on his face.

“Okay buddy, thank you, I’ll pick up a taxi from here”, I thanked him.

“So you live in Kothrud right”, he asked.

“Yeah”, I nodded.

“If you don’t mind I can take you to Kothrud on my cycle”, he again offered whatever was in his control.

Oh boy!! Why is he so polite and helpful to me? Kothrud is like 5 km from here, he has already travelled 10 km and now why he would want to carry me further just for the sake of help? Now suspicious thoughts started hovering my head, Is there some intention behind this and does he want something from me? (I thought like a normal, ordinary man for whom unasked help is just a product of selfish motive!!)

I politely said “No, dear friend, I don’t want to give you more trouble and I am really obliged to you for whatever you did for me”

“Okay than I would go now, good night”, grinned he and again I see that selfless and innocent smile on his face.

He left and at the same time he left a deep impression on me. His enlightened face is deeply engraved in my memories. In today’s era where people have become so much self centered and busy that they couldn’t find time for others and in worse cases even for their families, humanity and selfless love is still alive in form of cycle rider who are ready to offer whatever they can to others just for the sake of humanity!!

Long live all those altruists who are making life on earth more beautiful and a reason for celebration.