I was, I can say, somewhat frustrated. I locked my PC and entered a meeting room. I wanted to draw a plan. A new plan. A better plan. I wanted to do something creative. I was very restless. There was a marker on the table. I casualty picked it up and soon found myself writing whatever was coming to my mind on the whiteboard in front of me. Words, words and more words flowed out in abundance. I was scribbling stuff and wondering how many things do I carry in my circuit up there.
Just then he walked in. He thought no one is there in the room. He came in to clean the place and make it ready for next meeting. No light of the room was on so it is natural for him to have thought that the room is empty. He apologized and left. I shouted on his back that it was okay seeing his walk back steadily. I was back to the board soon.
It is good to dump what is there in the brain on the board sometimes.
Just then, there was a knock and he reappeared. Communication between him and us, in the past 3 years, has been mostly non-verbal. He speaks raw Kannada. I can understand what he speaks but it gets difficult for me to convey my thoughts to him - verbally. So, the language chosen is that of smiles. Innumerable times I have smiled at him and he has smiled back at me. I have got hurt in the past with such relationships when the person on the other side, at some point in time, asked me for special favors. For me these are very strong human bonds - not business. Yet, with this person, exchanging a smile had always been a great thing.
He reappeared in the room speaking something which must be an attempt to excuse him. He uttered something more and what I could make out of it was 'photo'. I could make the connection. A smile lit up my face and I told him in broken bits and pieces of the two languages I can speak (Hindi and English) and some bits of Kannada that I have the photo at home and that I will get it for him soon.
A few days back we had an event at our office. It was a grand event with participation from many organizations. Hundreds of educated smart young people came in. The organizers were enthusiastic and cheerful. The event was a success. People coming from other organizations were happy. Much of the quality delivery came from the persistent hard work of the office staff who worked from morning to late at night ensuring that everything was right in place. As the event drew to an end, someone suggested that the organizers take a photograph. All of them came together and invited me as well to attend. I join in but not without my silent friend. I pulled him alongside my colleagues and got a snap taken.
For most people, the images taken on that day will find their way into the social networking sites. A few comments and then they will be lost in oblivion. Some may use the images in magazines and newsletters too. But for one man there, that image will have a slightly deeper meaning. He is surely keeping that image safely with a sense of pride and accomplishment. I guess, he will, to a small degree, walk back home with the feeling of the unspoken gratitude I have for him and the real fine work that he did.
Life comes to me in small boxes of chocolate. And all those chocolates are pleasant surprises. Feeling at this moment is that of blending deeper into the spirit of life.