I have a very Ordinary Life. Ordinary, but trying to achieve extra ordinary things, atleast that’s what my Global MNC Organisation likes me to believe. N not just me, but the make thousands like me believe that we are all trying to achieve extraordinary things, do brilliant jobs, and take our already gigantic sized Corporations, to Dinosauric Proportions. & the best part is, all of us actually believe it. & thus begins the race. A mad race, to get the most, to give your best & n the process, put everything a stake, your health, family, peace of mind.
Even I am part of one such maddening race, which leaves me with very little energy & drive. But one thing which I still try n take time out for, is m Books. I am an avid reader, & love reading & buying books. I buy these books normally from the Book Stores, or at times from the traffic signals, where you get he latest books, at the lowest prices. It was during one of these signals enroute to my home, that I met Suresh alias Raju. I was returning from office, and at one f the busiest signals, just a few Kms from my home, I saw a lean looking boy, with books stacked in his hands. I rolled down my window, & started having a look at the books. The Signal went green & amidst the frenzied honking of Cars, I located an interesting looking cover. I signaled the boy to follow me, as I moved from the light & took a right turn, I could find a place to park my car, safely away from the crazy flow of the traffic. I realized that in doing so, I had to travel at least a km, as there was no convenient place to park, or I had to risk my car getting brushed by this traffic.
The boy finally reached my car. He was panting after running for this distance. I looked at his books, particularly that cover. It read “ How to read some one like a book?”. These kind of self help books, are something I have never taken a fantasy to. The other books were normal sellers, even though I had not read them. Not in the mood to buy any of those, I felt sorry for the boy. He had to run to attend to me, and probably lose out on his sale to some other less finicky customer. With this feeling of guilt, I took out a 10 Rupee note from my wallet, & handed it over to the boy. “ Yeh Book nahin Chahiye. Sorry, aap ko Bhagaaya itna. Yeh Lo”
The Boy Looked at me, his eyes turned a little moist. He said” Sahaab aap kya kaam karte hain ?” I tried to get friendly with the little kid, I told him that I also am a Sales man like him, that I also sell. The Boy replied, “ Sahaab, You only said, you are sales man like me. How would you feel, If some body thinks that you are a begger”. With that he returned my 10 rupee note.
I was taken aback at the boys statement. I actually felt bad for hurting his pride. I took his books & started to see the Covers. I decided on 4 books, & asked him for the price. He said,”500 for these 4, sahaab”. I took out the money & handed over it to him. “Sahaab, have you read the Alchemist. It is the highest selling here. Every day, I sell 3 copies of Alchemist. Today it got sold. If u haven’t read it, I’ll get it next time.” What all are the other good selling Books which you have, I asked him. “ Chetan Bhagat’s both books are in good demand sahaab. Also Comedy books, College- Student Time Pass books are what sells maximum here.
I got a call on my cell. It was from my Mother, who had called on to check by what time I would reach home. I sat n my car & asked him if he’s available at this signal most of the times. He said “yes”. I told him to me with some other good books tomorrow. I would like to see some more
With that I left. There was something about this boy, I said to myself. What I actually liked the most, that even in the condition he seemed to be in, he was not ready to compromise his self respect. That’s what touched me the most.
The next evening, after work, I was again at the same signal. I spotted the boy, & called him. He came to my car window, & handed over the Copy of the Alchemist to me.” Sahaab I saved this copy for you. I didn’t give it to anyone” I told him to come to the turn , where I could have a look at the books. He agreed & followed me to the turn.
On reaching the spot, I asked him, that y did he save this book for me, He should have sold it to some other Customer, who asked for it. He said, “ Sahaab, I know the difference between book readers & book lovers”. How do you know, that I m a book lover & not just a normal reader. “ Sahaab, most people who take books from me, always look at the back of the book first to check the price. Yesterday, u bought 4 books from me, but u first checked the cover page, the details at the back & didn’t even look at the prices. That’s y I wanted to save a good book for you.” You have a good observation, I said. “ Thank you , sahaab”
Whats your name, I asked him. “ Raju, he said”. So raju, how long have u been selling books ? “ Last 2 years Sahaab” Ok. “Sahaab, my real name is Suresh. Raju is what they call me at this signal. Also I didn’t want to tell my real name to all these people around this signal. Because, once I m out of this life, I want to get rid of every thing associated with this sick life, even this fake name. You don’t know Sahaab, I have seen too much. I have to get out of this mess, and rebuild my life all over again.
These words coming out of such a young boys mouth, it sure sounded like words of wisdom from some one who seemed to have grown up very fast. The best thing about him was that even though he seemed to be in a mess, he still was sure that he would get out of it, & make things better again. This grit & determination in this young boy was something which made me admire this boy.
“Don’t worry Suresh. Everything will be fine. You will definitely have a life of your choice. If you don’t mind, Can I ask you your age”
My age, what do you think Sahaab. What will be my age ? Hmm.. 19 -20. Hahah….See sahaab, even you got it wrong. I am 13 yrs old. I then realized, that when life gives you more than your share of hardships, then growing up too fast, is our only defence mechanism against its adversities. This young boy looked much older than his tender age.
But I kept wondering, what could have gone wrong with him. Even though, he would be very shabbily dressed, but there was something about the way he carried himself, even in those shoddy clothes, it made him stand out from other boys at the steet.
Sahaab, I may not be as intelligent as you are, but I am good a reading people. You look to be a very genuine & caring person & I know you are genuinely feeling sad for me” I was startled at his observation. Yes raju, I am feeling bad for you. You Indeed, are good at reading people.
Yes Sahaab, I have to be good at reading people. Because my father never was, & Our whole family has paid the price for having not read some people correctly. I then came to know, that Raju / Suresh , belonged to a very rich family. His father had 2 huge shops in Daryaganj, a prime commercial property in Delhi. They had a Book Store in 1 shop, & a Gift & Accesory items shop in the 2nd. It was an ancestral property, & they had been running this shop for the last 20 years. It was only 4 years ago, that Suresh’s father, had been duped by his employees. They had forged his signatures on the all the documents, pertaining to the property & home. These employees were wit Suresh’s father for the last 10 years, and were treated like family y Suresh’s father. Suresh’s father also trusted them blindly & would leave a lot of decision making authority with them Even at time, would sign documents without even looking at them.
The employees, had executed a perfectly hatched plan & duped Suresh’s father of his entire property & even home. They had to take shelter in some cheap lodges, and be at relatives mercy for few days. Suresh’s father could not take this shock, & he passed away. His mother, also became paralysed with shock & whatever little money, they had I was spent in their rent, food & the mothers medicine. They both did some menial jobs, to survive. About a year ago, Suresh’s mother also expired, and since then he has been on the streets. He shares his daily profits with the Signal Incharge, a local goon, who in turn allows him to sell books & provides for his accommodation.
Suddenly there was deathening silence between us. “That’s y Sahaab, I said, I cant be wrong in reading people. But I will get out of this life, sahaab. I will one day, have my own Book & Gift shop. Like we used to have earlier”
Trying to ease the tension, I said, Gift Shop..Hmm so will u promise me, that when u have your own Book & Gift Shop, u will gift me a nice book
“Sure Sahaab, I will gift you, your favourite books & also huge discounts. Sahaab, Can I know your name. Where do you work ? Where do you stay ??
My name is Rajiv, & handed over my card to him. Remember,I will be happiest when I get the gift from your own shop.
What is your favourite book, Sahaab ? Its World War -2, bu Winston ChurchHill. Its my favourite book. Some relative of mine borrowed it & has never returned it since then. If u find that book somewhere, do let me know. Ok
“Sure , Sahaab”
With that, I shook his hand & left for my home. I realized I had spent nearly 2 hours with this boy, listening to his lifes adversities. I felt sad for this boy, but at the same time, I was also amazed at his self confidence. Te way he wanted to succeed, & get back his own book shop, & not give in to lifes challenges was hugely inspiring.
As fate would have it, The next day, I also met with my fair share of adversity. My Car met with a huge accident, an almost life threatening one. I suffered multiple fractures & was advised bed rest for 6 weeks. All this time on the bed, was really frustrating. I had nothing to do, just watch T.V & read my books. I even read “ The Alchemist”. I also thought about Suresh. How he would be doing ? I thought he would be missing me. Probably he would be thinking, that I am avoiding him. Even my Cell phone had been misplaced at the time of the accident, & it took me 2 weeks to get my same number back.
Time passed, & I was ready to join work. After 6 weeks, I was on way to office, crossing through the same signal, but I knew that Suresh comes there late evenings. I reached office, & met most of my colleagues. Settled down in my seat, & was receiving a huge download of mails. Suddenly, an office boy walked in to my cabin, with a parcel .
Sir, this parcel had come for you 2 weeks back.
I took the parcel & opened it. In it I saw, the book – World war 2, By Winston Churchill. As I opened the Cover page of the book, I saw a letter attached to it. It was writteb ny Suresh…
Sahaab, I don’t know where you have gone ? I waited for you for 10-12 days at the signal, but u never came. I even tried your cell phone number, which was in the card, but it was unreachable. Sahaab, I know you are a good human being & u genuinely felt bad for me. It means a lot to me. I have been through a lot, but I still have not given up. One day, I will have my Own Book & Gift Shop, like my father. Sahaab, your gift will be due, when I realize my dream. I will give u a very good present then. But for now, Pls accept this favourite book of yousr as a small gift from me. I know u will love this book. I have to move on from that Signal, & go to some other signal. Like you, we also have a boss, & sometimes we have to listen to him. I have your number with me, I will try to call you, when your cell is reachable.
Raju / Suresh
Tears rolled down my cheeks. Here I was, A Sr manager in a Top MNC Organisation, and I was feeling so small in front of this boy, who has seen the lowest points in life, and still is ready to beat all its adversities. I looked at His book & realised that This is the heaviest Gift, I’ve ever received in my life, cause the burden of this Gift was too big to carry
Even I am part of one such maddening race, which leaves me with very little energy & drive. But one thing which I still try n take time out for, is m Books. I am an avid reader, & love reading & buying books. I buy these books normally from the Book Stores, or at times from the traffic signals, where you get he latest books, at the lowest prices. It was during one of these signals enroute to my home, that I met Suresh alias Raju. I was returning from office, and at one f the busiest signals, just a few Kms from my home, I saw a lean looking boy, with books stacked in his hands. I rolled down my window, & started having a look at the books. The Signal went green & amidst the frenzied honking of Cars, I located an interesting looking cover. I signaled the boy to follow me, as I moved from the light & took a right turn, I could find a place to park my car, safely away from the crazy flow of the traffic. I realized that in doing so, I had to travel at least a km, as there was no convenient place to park, or I had to risk my car getting brushed by this traffic.
The boy finally reached my car. He was panting after running for this distance. I looked at his books, particularly that cover. It read “ How to read some one like a book?”. These kind of self help books, are something I have never taken a fantasy to. The other books were normal sellers, even though I had not read them. Not in the mood to buy any of those, I felt sorry for the boy. He had to run to attend to me, and probably lose out on his sale to some other less finicky customer. With this feeling of guilt, I took out a 10 Rupee note from my wallet, & handed it over to the boy. “ Yeh Book nahin Chahiye. Sorry, aap ko Bhagaaya itna. Yeh Lo”
The Boy Looked at me, his eyes turned a little moist. He said” Sahaab aap kya kaam karte hain ?” I tried to get friendly with the little kid, I told him that I also am a Sales man like him, that I also sell. The Boy replied, “ Sahaab, You only said, you are sales man like me. How would you feel, If some body thinks that you are a begger”. With that he returned my 10 rupee note.
I was taken aback at the boys statement. I actually felt bad for hurting his pride. I took his books & started to see the Covers. I decided on 4 books, & asked him for the price. He said,”500 for these 4, sahaab”. I took out the money & handed over it to him. “Sahaab, have you read the Alchemist. It is the highest selling here. Every day, I sell 3 copies of Alchemist. Today it got sold. If u haven’t read it, I’ll get it next time.” What all are the other good selling Books which you have, I asked him. “ Chetan Bhagat’s both books are in good demand sahaab. Also Comedy books, College- Student Time Pass books are what sells maximum here.
I got a call on my cell. It was from my Mother, who had called on to check by what time I would reach home. I sat n my car & asked him if he’s available at this signal most of the times. He said “yes”. I told him to me with some other good books tomorrow. I would like to see some more
With that I left. There was something about this boy, I said to myself. What I actually liked the most, that even in the condition he seemed to be in, he was not ready to compromise his self respect. That’s what touched me the most.
The next evening, after work, I was again at the same signal. I spotted the boy, & called him. He came to my car window, & handed over the Copy of the Alchemist to me.” Sahaab I saved this copy for you. I didn’t give it to anyone” I told him to come to the turn , where I could have a look at the books. He agreed & followed me to the turn.
On reaching the spot, I asked him, that y did he save this book for me, He should have sold it to some other Customer, who asked for it. He said, “ Sahaab, I know the difference between book readers & book lovers”. How do you know, that I m a book lover & not just a normal reader. “ Sahaab, most people who take books from me, always look at the back of the book first to check the price. Yesterday, u bought 4 books from me, but u first checked the cover page, the details at the back & didn’t even look at the prices. That’s y I wanted to save a good book for you.” You have a good observation, I said. “ Thank you , sahaab”
Whats your name, I asked him. “ Raju, he said”. So raju, how long have u been selling books ? “ Last 2 years Sahaab” Ok. “Sahaab, my real name is Suresh. Raju is what they call me at this signal. Also I didn’t want to tell my real name to all these people around this signal. Because, once I m out of this life, I want to get rid of every thing associated with this sick life, even this fake name. You don’t know Sahaab, I have seen too much. I have to get out of this mess, and rebuild my life all over again.
These words coming out of such a young boys mouth, it sure sounded like words of wisdom from some one who seemed to have grown up very fast. The best thing about him was that even though he seemed to be in a mess, he still was sure that he would get out of it, & make things better again. This grit & determination in this young boy was something which made me admire this boy.
“Don’t worry Suresh. Everything will be fine. You will definitely have a life of your choice. If you don’t mind, Can I ask you your age”
My age, what do you think Sahaab. What will be my age ? Hmm.. 19 -20. Hahah….See sahaab, even you got it wrong. I am 13 yrs old. I then realized, that when life gives you more than your share of hardships, then growing up too fast, is our only defence mechanism against its adversities. This young boy looked much older than his tender age.
But I kept wondering, what could have gone wrong with him. Even though, he would be very shabbily dressed, but there was something about the way he carried himself, even in those shoddy clothes, it made him stand out from other boys at the steet.
Sahaab, I may not be as intelligent as you are, but I am good a reading people. You look to be a very genuine & caring person & I know you are genuinely feeling sad for me” I was startled at his observation. Yes raju, I am feeling bad for you. You Indeed, are good at reading people.
Yes Sahaab, I have to be good at reading people. Because my father never was, & Our whole family has paid the price for having not read some people correctly. I then came to know, that Raju / Suresh , belonged to a very rich family. His father had 2 huge shops in Daryaganj, a prime commercial property in Delhi. They had a Book Store in 1 shop, & a Gift & Accesory items shop in the 2nd. It was an ancestral property, & they had been running this shop for the last 20 years. It was only 4 years ago, that Suresh’s father, had been duped by his employees. They had forged his signatures on the all the documents, pertaining to the property & home. These employees were wit Suresh’s father for the last 10 years, and were treated like family y Suresh’s father. Suresh’s father also trusted them blindly & would leave a lot of decision making authority with them Even at time, would sign documents without even looking at them.
The employees, had executed a perfectly hatched plan & duped Suresh’s father of his entire property & even home. They had to take shelter in some cheap lodges, and be at relatives mercy for few days. Suresh’s father could not take this shock, & he passed away. His mother, also became paralysed with shock & whatever little money, they had I was spent in their rent, food & the mothers medicine. They both did some menial jobs, to survive. About a year ago, Suresh’s mother also expired, and since then he has been on the streets. He shares his daily profits with the Signal Incharge, a local goon, who in turn allows him to sell books & provides for his accommodation.
Suddenly there was deathening silence between us. “That’s y Sahaab, I said, I cant be wrong in reading people. But I will get out of this life, sahaab. I will one day, have my own Book & Gift shop. Like we used to have earlier”
Trying to ease the tension, I said, Gift Shop..Hmm so will u promise me, that when u have your own Book & Gift Shop, u will gift me a nice book
“Sure Sahaab, I will gift you, your favourite books & also huge discounts. Sahaab, Can I know your name. Where do you work ? Where do you stay ??
My name is Rajiv, & handed over my card to him. Remember,I will be happiest when I get the gift from your own shop.
What is your favourite book, Sahaab ? Its World War -2, bu Winston ChurchHill. Its my favourite book. Some relative of mine borrowed it & has never returned it since then. If u find that book somewhere, do let me know. Ok
“Sure , Sahaab”
With that, I shook his hand & left for my home. I realized I had spent nearly 2 hours with this boy, listening to his lifes adversities. I felt sad for this boy, but at the same time, I was also amazed at his self confidence. Te way he wanted to succeed, & get back his own book shop, & not give in to lifes challenges was hugely inspiring.
As fate would have it, The next day, I also met with my fair share of adversity. My Car met with a huge accident, an almost life threatening one. I suffered multiple fractures & was advised bed rest for 6 weeks. All this time on the bed, was really frustrating. I had nothing to do, just watch T.V & read my books. I even read “ The Alchemist”. I also thought about Suresh. How he would be doing ? I thought he would be missing me. Probably he would be thinking, that I am avoiding him. Even my Cell phone had been misplaced at the time of the accident, & it took me 2 weeks to get my same number back.
Time passed, & I was ready to join work. After 6 weeks, I was on way to office, crossing through the same signal, but I knew that Suresh comes there late evenings. I reached office, & met most of my colleagues. Settled down in my seat, & was receiving a huge download of mails. Suddenly, an office boy walked in to my cabin, with a parcel .
Sir, this parcel had come for you 2 weeks back.
I took the parcel & opened it. In it I saw, the book – World war 2, By Winston Churchill. As I opened the Cover page of the book, I saw a letter attached to it. It was writteb ny Suresh…
Sahaab, I don’t know where you have gone ? I waited for you for 10-12 days at the signal, but u never came. I even tried your cell phone number, which was in the card, but it was unreachable. Sahaab, I know you are a good human being & u genuinely felt bad for me. It means a lot to me. I have been through a lot, but I still have not given up. One day, I will have my Own Book & Gift Shop, like my father. Sahaab, your gift will be due, when I realize my dream. I will give u a very good present then. But for now, Pls accept this favourite book of yousr as a small gift from me. I know u will love this book. I have to move on from that Signal, & go to some other signal. Like you, we also have a boss, & sometimes we have to listen to him. I have your number with me, I will try to call you, when your cell is reachable.
Raju / Suresh
Tears rolled down my cheeks. Here I was, A Sr manager in a Top MNC Organisation, and I was feeling so small in front of this boy, who has seen the lowest points in life, and still is ready to beat all its adversities. I looked at His book & realised that This is the heaviest Gift, I’ve ever received in my life, cause the burden of this Gift was too big to carry
