There are so many people we come across daily; so many that just pass by us, see us in the train or bus regularly, walk with us, cross the road with us; and they all have something to offer, and no place is The Right Place to look for it.
Inspiration; can be found in the most unexpected of places, from the most unexpected of people and on the most unexpected of days!
I was having a rough time and was in the worst of my moods when I left for college, unwillingly. And to add to my irritation, I got rejected by around 15 auto drivers and still wasn't successful in getting one to go to the station; but I had to keep trying. I ran for this one lone auto(which I had no hopes to get), which was being harrowed by people as they too wanted to reach somewhere; but by the time I asked, the auto driver had already chosen a passenger, but unconsciously, I still blurted out my destination to him and turned away.
He called out to me saying 'Madam, aap aaiye', and for the first time on that day I smiled, feeling accomplished in at least one simple way.
As I sat inside, I started to arrange the things in my bag and pulled my earphones out, but I could sense that the driver was trying to talk; so I looked at him through the rear view mirror and he was ready with what he had to say, as I had perceived.
He said "Madam, jis tarah se aap puchti ho, aapko toh koi mana nahi karega" (Madam, Your manner of requesting is too difficult to decline). And I felt as if I had been pretty rude due to my bad mood, but he went on to say that my request had actually been very polite and proper for anybody to be able to decline. And the rest of my conversation with him, changed my mood forever!
He was a young child when he didn't feel at home with his parents and thus had chosen his own path. At the young age of 9, he ran away from his home in Allahabad, to come to Mumbai and live his life his own way. With the little money he had, he managed to spend a few days at Malad station, trying to figure out what to do, when his uncle found him and took him back home.
His parents scolded him for his behaviour and put additional restrictions on him, which forced him to run away from home once again after a month.
After getting back to the City of Dreams, he started to sell women's accessories and handkerchiefs in trains.
Then, 5-6 years later, he saw an advertisement which required job applications from people without any educational background, and delighted to see it, he called on their number.
The fact that he was educated till the Fourth Grade got him a slightly better salary than most other applicants and they also gave him a small house. As he had no social ties, he could save a lot of money, which he used for subscribing to a tiffin service to fill his stomach. He was more than overwhelmed and worked as hard as he could to keep growing there.
At the end of 5 years, he had managed to save around 2 lakhs and purchased his own room in a place like Mumbai, which is famous for it's exceptionally high property rates!
He then decided to quit his job and rent an auto to become an auto driver because he loved to drive.
Being the kind of man he was, he never felt like allowing rude passengers to ride with him; because being an auto driver doesn't mean you can't have self-respect, does it? One day he got so irritated that he returned the auto to his boss to quit, but after hearing him out, the union head gave him the auto for himself.
He was overjoyed that he didn't have to pay auto rent anymore and could also keep his self-respect!
He registered the auto in his brother's name and went on to search for the rest of his family.
He gradually got back in touch with his family through his brother and was happy to know that his brothers had completed education from Allahabad University and worked with the Tata Steel Company in Kolkata! His parents had passed away but he never failed in maintaining the most natural of relations with his brothers and they all had mutual respect for one another.
His story had a deep impact on me as I had learnt three things:1. Satisfaction is true happiness; 2. Self-respect and dignity should remain, no matter what you do, in order to succeed; and3.You can do anything, as long as you feed your will power!
His story keeps me going for days and never fails to help me push myself out of my comfort zone and overcome every day challenges.
And to get inspired; all I had to do was keep my eyes and heart open!
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