Ramesh had newly moved into the city. He dreamt of a luxury - a magical spell kind -which was waiting for him behind the doorway. He only needed to step out on time. Though he was not much of a day dreamer, he often had these visions and faith-ed in them. He was somewhere caught midway between between aspiration and reality. He had to bridge the both ends.
Ramesh belonged to a small village in Hisar in Haryana. He had been good at academics and managed to get a graduation degree from the local Government College. He read the newspaper regularly and stayed updated on the events/happenings around the world. To keep up with the English language, he joined a spoken English course in the nearby town. He had also done a 3 month course on the basic Computer skills.
Several of his friends had moved to Delhi in the recent years. Its been 3 months he too moved here. Putting up in a 2 room rented house in North Delhi, he was cram-packed with other fellow friends similar to him. A person who is brought up in a small village has more endurance in-built and adjustment capabilities within. There was only one thing that was worrying him day and night. Every morning he would wake up, take his bath, chant the Hanuman Chalisa (which he had been doing since he was 5), change his clothes and move out with his large Folder File to attend the interview scheduled. He often stood before the small mirror, wondering what the day had in-store for him today. He occasionally grabbed paranthas from the roadside food-carts, before hopping onto the bus.
While in the evenings, he would be seen walking down leisurely at a slow pace, tired and exhausted. He was no more the same. He would then go back to his room, sit quiet for hours and prepare himself for the next day again. His company of friends - his roommates would often cheer him back. Getting rejected at interviews, he could not understand where he was lacking behind. His score at the technical rounds would come high. He had improved his English. Then Why?
The above Sketch has been made by Sonali Bhattacharya
One similar day, as he was sitting on his bed, sad and depressed, he suddenly felt a gentle warm hands on his shoulder. "It's ok" said the boy " Hi". He turned and saw it was Rohan who lived in the next building. Rohan said "Would you mind if I ask you something? Just tell me everything. Maybe I can help you." Ramesh felt so much warmth in his words, he just blurted out every small little thing. There was so much pain and worry piled up inside him that he could hold no longer.
The next day happened to be a Sunday and a no interview day. Ramesh had promised to keep the day reserved for Rohan. Hey Dude! You Ready! said Rohan. Come, Lets go!. They made their way onto auto-rickshaw stand. After a much to do bargaining, they reached the Kamla Nagar Market. Ramesh's eyes dwindled seeing so many shops and eateries where people were hanging out with friends, having fun, talking and laughing to their fullest. There was so much happiness around. Rohan took him inside a custom shop where he selected a pair of formal attire (formal shirt and trousers) for him. Next they headed to Shikanji shop they quenched their thirst with Masala Soda refreshing drink. It was almost 1 o' clock now and were hungry. They had lunch at the Bunty-da-dhaba with the traditional North -Indian menu. They returned home in the evening. They laughed recalling the funny incidents in the market. Ramesh went in for a shower and when he came, he saw there a gift wrapped in colorful papers left on his bed. On it was written "For my dear Friend Ramesh - from Rohan". He quickly removed the wrappers and out came the small box - A beautiful set of Gillette Men's Grooming Kit (Gillette Fusion Razor, Facial
Moisturizer, After Shave, Series Gel). A small note - "Use this every morning, you shall see a sea change in you and your life".
As usual he woke up the next morning with hopes and dreamy eyes. He remembered yes - he had something new to try out - the gift from his friend. He cleaned all the long haired stubble that had been covering his face since weeks. He looked at himself in the mirror once more. He really had a good face. He wondered why had he stayed like this with all stubble. He looked polite and descent. He took his bath, put on his new clother, said his daily prayers, had the gobhi paranthas and headed to take the Metro. He reached the venue on time. There was a long queue of candidatees waiting in the hall. It was almost 1 hr 30 mins now. A voice called "Ramesh Sharma"..."Ramesh Sharma please". A shock swept passed him. He got up. He moved with confidence, heading straight. He greeted everyone well and took his chair. He rightfully answered all the questions. The personal round went good as well. The interview panel looked quite satisfied. They told him they would let him know in a few days.
Its been almost 4 days since then. Ramesh continued with other interviews as well. He managed to get shortlisted in one more company this week. By the end of the 4th week, he had 3 job offers awaiting him. Hurray! Nothing could be more blissful than this. Now he was there to make a selection and accept one amongst them. His joy knew no boundaries. He felt so much happiness within - a goal accomplished. He joined the company which was offering the highest and had a good name in the industry. He went to see Rohan with a box of sweets to share the good news. He described how grateful he was to him for the "Gillette Shaving Kit" which had made him look so smart and presentable. Success followed him everywhere as if were his shadow. He always remembered him for the wonderful gift throughout his life.
No comments:
Post a Comment